A New Road
by iloveromys
Summary: Ultimate Xmen-centric... So the Assassins are no longer a threat, and Rogue has new powers and a new job description. Quite a lot has changed since she first ran away with Remy. Chapter 33 up!
1. Setting the stage

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this story; it would already be published and I would be RICH!! But poor little me has to resort to writing for her own fun and imagination. (sigh)

A/N: This is my very first fanfic, so any questions/ comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated. No flames please. P.S. reviews rock my sox!

A/N: This story is based on Ultimate X:Men's Cry Wolf and Annual storyline. It's been awhile since I've read either, and since I've picked up any of the new issues, so I'm doing this from memory and imagination. Bear with me, please. Btw...It's a ROMY

* * *

It was raining. Any other day the steady tempo of the rain against her air conditioner would have lulled her straight to sleep. Kitty would be on her bed, typing a letter to her parents, her dragon Lockheed at the foot of her bed. Bobby would peek in to say goodnight. She'd throw the pillow at him, laughing, then snuggle into her bed and luxuriously drift off. Her thoughts drifted to Bobby and Kitty. As much as she didn't want to admit it, seeing them kiss at the carnival stung. _Stop thinking about them_, she mentally admonished herself. Rogue reached up and looked at herself in the car mirror. Her hair was starting to curl quite nicely. _Maybe Ah should run off in the rain more often_, she smirked to herself. Pausing for a bit to look at her reflection, she begins to reminisce about the events a few hours before.

_She looks up at Wolverine, loaded shotgun in hand. "STOP IT." "Ah'm no saint...but you...you're practically an animal." And as soon as those words pass her lips, she freezes. She sees the hurt in his eyes, and a wave of self-loathing hits her. Hard. To make it worse, Storm comes over and berates her. The contempt, scorn, and oddly enough, pity, is evident in her eyes._

_"...You're not all right, you ungrateful brat! That man cares for you like a sister." _

She sighed. Deep down she knew. And she hated herself for what she said. It was that reason alone that made Rogue leave with Remy. Leave the only place where she felt at home since Mississippi, with a man who she had only known for a few days. A man who had kidnapped her no less. Truth is she couldn't bear to face Logan if she saw his face again. The only true friend she ever had, and she screwed it up. She sighed again. _And all they were trying to do was to rescue me from some psycho businessmen. Imagine what the other X-men must think. _Her thoughts drifted to Logan again...

She remembered one time after a Danger Room session, she broke down. She can't remember exactly why, just she felt so alone, so helpless. She left the Danger Room and made her way into the kitchen, Logan was there. He knew that she'd been crying, could smell her tears, but didn't say anything. He just got up, went to the fridge, got two beers and sat her down. They had a long heart to heart and left the kitchen at around 3 the next morning with a newfound friendship and respect for each other. The two outcasts.

" Chere," Remy calls softly, breaking the silence.

"We're here."

"'Kay, Sug," she replies.

"Look, Ah'm sorry I've been down this whole trip, but Ah "...

"Don't worry chere," he cuts her off, "Remy knows that you 'ave a lot on your mind." It takes a moment to realize that they are in New Orleans. Although it is late at night, there are still a lot of people milling about, going in and out of cafés, lounging on the wrought iron balconies, listening to the lazy saxophone. Remy leads the way into a nice building, with an even nicer apartment. She looks around, impressed, her troubles gone for the moment. Rogue looks sideways and grins at Remy.

_Maybe Ah could get used to this.

* * *

_

YAY Chapter 1!! I'm sorry for the angst and lack of Romyness. I just wanted to set the stage.

A/N: For those of you that didn't follow the storyline, in Ultimate X-men, Rogue was kidnapped by Gambit, who was working for this evil duo (brother and sister...or husband and wife), Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker who were in charge of this corporation called Fenris. They offered her some sort of power inhibiting suit, which they also gave to Gambit, as a bribe to work for them. She refused, and with the help of Gambit, helped defeat them and try to escape. By that time, the X-men had arrived to rescue her, but Wolverine, recognizing Gambit, attacked him, which led to the whole "shotgun scene." I just put in the angst.

Please review. Keep in mind, this is my first time. With your help, this will probably get better.


	2. Take your love interest to work

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this story; it would already be published and I would be RICH!! But poor little me has to resort to writing for her own fun and imagination. (sigh)

A/N: This is my very first fanfic, so any questions/ comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated. No flames please. P.S. reviews rock my sox!

A/N: This story is based on Ultimate X:Men's Cry Wolf and Annual storyline. It's been awhile since I've read either, and since I've picked up any of the new issues, so I'm doing this from memory and imagination. Bear with me, please. Btw...It's a ROMY

* * *

"So what do you wanna do?"

The question came as a surprise to Rogue. She had resigned herself to a night of movies and Cherry Garcia. Remy was halfway out the door on the way to one of his "jobs," and Rogue was lounging comfortably on the couch. This pattern was a familiar one. The nights had been like this for the two weeks since she had arrived in New Orleans. This was just fine to her, although she did get a little lonely without Remy. They had become friends quickly, and spent most days hanging out at local jazz clubs, flirting and having a fun time.

"What d'ya mean, Rems. Ain't cha going out?"

"Oui cheré, but do you wanna come?" Remy asked with a mischievous grin, as her whole face lit up. He hadn't seen her this excited since they had come to New Orleans. He knew that she still was hurting from the night that they left. _Besides_, he thought, _Henri says this job's pretty detailed. It wouldn't hurt to have some back up._

"No way!!" she said excitedly springing up.

"Yeah, of course. Ah've been itching to see some action. Ah'll be right back."

Rogue ran into her room. Remy lit up a cigarette, and hummed to himself. He looked at his watch. Henri said the coast would be clear in fifteen minutes. He hoped that Rogue wouldn't take too much time doing whatever she needed to do.

* * *

"Ah'm back," she interrupted his thoughts. He whistled. _Dis femme cleans up nice_. She was dressed in an old X-men uniform she had sent down along with a few other necessities. The black suit was made out of leather and kevlar. There was a low slung belt that accentuated the hunter green stripes that ran down her sides and matched the short gloves on her hands. She paused to tie her hair in a messy bun and check her boots, then looked up and said, "Well, Ah gotta look professional, Sugah." He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say, and then cleared his throat.

"Come on, petite. The museum closes in fifteen minutes."

* * *

"That was so much fun", Rogue cried as they made their way into the apartment. "What a rush. Didja see the way that guard flew-" She bumped into Remy, who stopped short. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Someone's here." Remy motioned Rogue to stand back and took out his bo staff. Rogue picked up the remote control from the coffee table for a makeshift weapon. Remy raised an eyebrow. Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching and Rogue beamed the remote at the target. The remote made contact with the intruder and he fell to the ground, his red head in his hands.

"Bloody 'ell mate!"

"John?"

* * *

Oooh pseudo-cliffhanger. I'm trying to speed things along, have Rogue more settled in. Any ideas, let me know.

-iloveromys

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	3. Old friends and new ideas

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this story; it would already be published and I would be RICH!! But poor little me has to resort to writing for her own fun and imagination. (sigh)

A/N: This is my very first fanfic, so any questions/ comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated. No flames please. P.S. reviews rock my sox!

A/N: This story is based on Ultimate X:Men's Cry Wolf and Annual storyline. It's been awhile since I've read either, and since I've picked up any of the new issues, so I'm doing this from memory and imagination. Bear with me, please. Btw...It's a ROMY

* * *

"What de hell are you doing here?" Remy asked.

John's head snapped up indignantly as he cried out, "I thought that I could come and see me old mate, but I think I got the wrong flat." Rogue approached him cautiously, as if he would jump up and attack her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. John glanced up at her, then at Remy, then back at Rogue.

"Who's the sheila?" he questioned. Remy paused and answered, "You ever heard of the X-men?"

"Yeah...run by that Xavier guy. They were all over the papers and talk shows a while back."

"Well, she's one." Rogue huffed impatiently and went over to John. "Mah name's Rogue, sugah, and ya'll can stop talking about me like Ah'm not here. Nice to meet you, by the way, and Ah'm sorry about your head."

John grinned at Remy. "I see you got a feisty one, eh mate. Good for you." He flopped on the couch, took off his shoes and began to flick through the channels. Remy inquired with a syrupy politeness (Sarcasm), "So what are you doing here, John?" John waved him away. "Oh, I'm just in town passing through...'' He was suddenly interrupted by a cheesy announcer. _Ladies and Gentlemen, Looking for a good read to excite and enthrall you. Then come to the 51st annual Romance Novel Convention. Plus, win a chance to meet famous author Pyro of Passion._

Rogue and Remy stared blankly at the screen. A large picture of John posing seductively with a large quill pen was staring back at them. John looked nervously between the both of them. Rogue burst out laughing while Remy was glued to the television with a glazed look in his eye.

"_You're_ Pyro of Passion?" Rogue finally asked once she had calmed down enough. John looked down embarrassed, "Well, I guess the secret's out then. Oh, look at the time... I guess I better be heading back to my hotel room." He gathered up his things, waved goodbye and rushed out the apartment. Rogue ran out after him. "John!!" He turned around barely managing to go down the stairs without tripping. Rogue waved a pen and paper at him. "Can Ah get your autograph?"

* * *

Remy was in the kitchen, fixing up something quick to eat by the time Rogue got back. He chuckled softly.

"I didn't know you read romance novels." She smirked at him. "Ah used to when Ah lived at home. Ah stopped after mah parents found out and threatened to tell the preacher." Remy stopped to flip something in the pan. "You know what, cheré? You've been here for two weeks now, and Remy don' know that much about you." He served up the food and brought it to the kitchen table. Silence met him. He waited patiently for a few moments, while Rogue played with her gloves in nervousness. She looked up at his handsome face and felt better, more relaxed.

"Ah was raised in Mississippi, Caldecott County to be exact. Mah parents were good people, well at least mah momma was. Mah daddy...he gambled a lot. Lost the house. Ah had to leave school. So that's when ah left...That is after Ah found out that Ah was a mutant." She paused as if she was going to elaborate, and then decided against it. Remy took note of this, but did not pressure her. She continued, "Ah didn't know what to do, where to go. Ah was kicked out of mah own home. So ah was on mah own for a while." She glanced at him. He said nothing. Rogue thought about her days while captured by Weapon X. She involuntarily shuddered. "What happened to me after Ah got off the streets is a story for another time, but eventually Ah went to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. You remember when the Brooklyn Bridge was bombed? Well Ah was there. Ah helped…and Ah regret it to this day." She paused. Remy's heart went out to her. He literally _felt_ her sadness and guilt.

"But then Ah went to the X-men. And Ah figured it would be a new start; a clean slate. For a while, Ah was happy." She thought of Bobby and a bit of anger rose to the surface. Rogue shoved it down and finished, "And now…Ah'm here with you." She reached over and took his hand. "Now Ah have another chance to start over. Ah wanna make sure no other person gets taken advantage of, whether by evil mutants…or corporate wanna-be terrorists."

Remy smiled fondly at her. "So…how are you gonna redeem yourself this time, Marian." She smiled sadly, "Rems, Ah'm not Marian. Ah said that was mah Christian name, and Ah feel like until Ah have done mah penance, Ah can't be Marian again. Call me Rogue." He looked her in the eye and said, "Well, Rogue, if you need me, I'll be here with you." He clapped his hands once and started clearing the table.

"So what do we do now?" He called out to Rogue. She turned around slightly.

"We start easy…take Fenris down."

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, guys. Hope you like it. 


	4. Stolen memories and a clue

Disclaimer: I do not or ever will own X-men or any of its characters. I give up all hope.

* * *

Rogue awoke with a start. Gasping wildly, she scanned the room she was in, Remy's guest room. She spotted a glass of water on the bedside table and gulped it down gratefully. Flashes of other people's memories ran through her mind.

_She was in an all white room with a sleek, minimalist motif, seated at a glass table. She looked out the floor length glass mirrors, sighed and glanced at her watch. Rogue noticed that her hand was lighter than usual. Her attention was drawn to the head of the table and saw Andreas von Strucker shaking hands with an attractive petite business woman. On top of the table was a chrome suitcase stuffed with easily a hundred thousand dollars. He motioned to her to lead the woman-Ms. Meyers-to the door. As she led Mrs. Meyers out the door, she caught her reflection in the glass window. Pale blue eyes and blond hair met her instead of her usual green eyes and two-toned curls. She realized who she was. _'This memory must belong to Andrea von Strucker'_, she thought. _

_Her attention was diverted to Andreas' bodyguard sneaking up behind the woman. With one swift motion, he snapped her neck. She crumpled to the floor._

* * *

Rogue let out a silent scream for the woman, as Remy's room came into focus. She shook her head and looked at the alarm clock. 5:45 glared back at her with angry red letters. "Well, so much for a good night's sleep_", _she whispered to herself. She got up and padded silently to the kitchen. She reached into the refrigerator and let the coldness envelope her. Browsing quietly, she took out a bunch of grapes and shut the door. She was met with Remy leaning on the other side of the wall, or more specifically, the glow of his eyes. She jumped internally, but made a point to stay calm.

"Bad dream," she and Remy offered at the same time. Remy scrutinized her for a minute, then said "You first."

She smiled wryly. "Well, Ah figured out where the von Strucker's next hit will be. They've got a few casinos in Vegas. They killed a businesswoman in order to secure their spot in it." She scanned Andreas' memories for a little bit more, and asked "You ever heard of the Gem of Cytorrak?" At his shaking no, she continued. "Neither have Ah, but whatever it is, they want it bad."

Remy smiled. "Does that mean we're going to Vegas?" She took a grape and fed it to him. "We're going to Vegas."

* * *

A/n: OMG it's taken me like 3 weeks to figure out how to separate paragraphs. wow..i feel dumb. Here's another chapter...Hope its a little more legible. R&R please. Any if you have any ideas, let me know 


	5. New Year's Thieves

Disclaimer: I do not or ever will own X-men or any of its characters. I give up all hope. I also do not own John Denver or his songs.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I don't have Microsoft word on my home comp, so I've been doing this at school, but we've been on break so I haven't been able to get anything up before now. The good news, though, is that I got the Cry Wolf storyline over the break so now I have a tangible frame of reference. The bad news is that now I know how many inconsistancies there are in the story. So I'll just blame it on creative liberties. Anywho, I've been working on this over the break so there's a slight time delay. Bear with me.

* * *

It was New Years' eve, 11:45 P.M. to be exact, and all Rogue could see was the road and the stars. Now, most people would be able to appreciate the calm atmosphere of New Mexico, but most people aren't Rogue. She was itching to get to Vegas, to get back at the Von Struckers. As far as she was concerned, it would be a perfect way to start the new year. She looked over at her partner in crime. Remy was driving, his red and black eyes fixed on the road ahead, lost in thought. She wanted to drive, but he said his eyes were better for seeing in the dark. She smirked inwardly and figured that he just didn't trust her driving.

Rogue fidgeted around some more and then gave up. Remy had finally came out of his thoughts. He turned to her.

"Bored?"

"Nah Sug, just antsy." He reached over and grabbed her hand as she was reaching for the radio.

"You sure you wanna do dat, Cheré?" She looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "What's wrong with turning on the radio." He looked at her, his handsome face cautious.

"We're in the middle of nowheresville, cheré. God knows what dey'll play or even if we'll get reception. Do you want to risk it?" he asked melodramatically.

Rogue rolled her eyes, "Oh, quit whining you big baby. What's the worst that can happen?" With that she flicked on the radio. White noise met her and then...

_Sunshiiiine on my shoooulllderrs ...makes me happyyyyy. _

Remy looked at Rogue pointedly. "Dat, cheré, is da worse that can happen."

She waved him away, "Oh hush up, it's a nice song."

They settled into a comfortable silence. Rogue looked at her watch. "Oooh, 10..9..8..," she began to count. Remy slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. She looked at him,"Why'd ya stop?" then glanced back at her watch. "3..2..1." She smiled to herself and turned back to Remy to ask him why they stopped again when he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. He whispered "Happy New Year, Cheré," then promptly lost conscienceness. She laughed out loud, then looked in the rearview mirror to watch her eyes turn red and black. She had never seen them like that before, but Remy told her they suited her. _Stupid Swamp Rat_, she thought, as she glanced at him again. Even in his unconsciencenesshe had a goofy smile on his face. She sighed, reached into his trench to take out a deck of cards, and began to play solitaire while she waited for him to wake up.

* * *

A/N: YAY!! another chapter up. Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently, but I have loads of ideas. Tell me if you like it so far. And thanks a lot to those who have reviewed. It makes all the difference. 


	6. Vegas, Baby!

Disclaimer: I do not or ever will own X-men or any of its characters. I give up all hope.

* * *

"Vegas, Baby!!!" It was around 2:30 in the morning a few days later and the lights of Las Vegas were just starting to appear on the horizon. The sparkling city was a beacon of light in the darkness, and Rogue felt that the angels were singing their praises to signal their arrival. Remy smiled giddily and started fidgeting. This was his third time to Vegas and he planned on making the best of it. He turned to Rogue who was practically bouncing up and down in her seat with happiness and gave her a brilliant grin. She beamed back looking possibly the happiest he'd ever seen her.

* * *

"So, what's the plan," Rogue asked as they stepped into their five star hotel room that Remy had somehow "acquired" for them. Rogue was speechless. It was the most colossal bedroom she had ever seen. The floors were made out of marble, at the foot of the bed was a hot tub, and the balcony had a perfect view of the giant water fountain. She had to give him extra points, as this was the first hotel room that did not have a heart shaped bed and matching jacuzzi from the 70s. She turned to him with her mouth agape. He shrugged it off as a favor that the manager owed to his family. She was too caught up with the wonder of the room to realize that Remy wasn't even there anymore. She whirled around when she felt the absence of his presence.

"Remy?"

He wasn't there. She checked the bathroom. Not there. Panic started to set in. It was as if he had just disappeared without a trace. She sat down on the cool marble floor. _Don't get worried, he probably just went to get food or something._ She was about to get up and start pacing when she heard footsteps down the hall. She inhaled sharply as she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she answered warily. Her heart pounded in her chest with every step she took to the door. The door knob slowly turned. She let out a sigh of relief. Standing in front of her was Remy Lebeau, with his infamous smirk and a long bag tossed nonchalantly over his shoulder.

"Jesus Rems, you scared me!" Rogue took a second to get her heart rate back to normal. "Ah thought you went of and disappeared."

Remy took the bag and placed it on the bed. "I took de opportunity to pick up a few surprises while you were drooling over the room."

Her ears perked up at the word _surprises_. She smiled shyly, "Aww, you didn't have to do anything for lil' old me." Remy went over to the bag and opened it. "I hope it fits." Rogue scampered over to it. Inside was a short, red, satin dress with a pair of matching opera length gloves and a pair of shoes. She looked at him. "How…"

Remy's eyes danced with amusement. "I bought it so we can celebrate properly after we complete our… mission." Rogue laughed. "Only a Swamp Rat such as yourself…" She trailed off and asked, "What about the other surprise."

Remy looked serious. "I had my cousin Lapin trail Fenris for us. I know where the gem is hidden, and I also know it's easy to get. We'll be out of Vegas in about a week."

Rogue smiled brilliantly. "That's why Ah love you."

Remy froze.

Rogue froze. This was the first time that either had professed their love. Rogue panicked slightly. She knew that Remy cared for her, but had she misjudged his memories. She shifted around nervously and fiddled with the dress as she thought of something to take out the awkwardness of the moment. _Damn damn damn damn._

Resigning herself to the fact that she probably just ruined her friendship with Remy by saying "the L word" too soon, she looked up at him with a crooked smile, ready to sprout some corny joke. She looked slowly up at Remy, who was struggling with some type of emotion. She searched his glowing red and black eyes frantically trying to determine if it was guilt, pity, or something else, when Remy took her hands in his and whispered, "Je t'aime aussi, chere."

It amazed Rogue how three words can make her forget all her anxiety and put her at ease. He pulled her into a hug and said the best seven words she had heard all week. "I'm hungry. Let's go out to dinner."

And hand in hand, the new (official) couple left.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like it. Please review.


	7. Recon Work

Disclaimer: I do not own anything...except for my hyperactive imagination and a few comic books and the RHPS dvd.

* * *

Las Vegas was a mystery. Arguably the most exciting city in the world, full of bright lights and Siegfried and Roy and drive-in wedding chapels with Elvis and _Shaft_ themes. There were casinos at every turn and XXX's everywhere you looked. It was easy to get lost there...which was the case in point for the young mutant couple. 

Remy Lebeau was confused. It was a new feeling for him. He was sure that he didn't like it...this confusion. But he was trying to do what almost every male does once they realize that they, too, are confused. Hide it.

Rogue, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of Remy's confusion. It was apparent from the aimount of times they had stopped and ended up at the same intersection. She glanced at Remy, who was clad only in a Guns N' Roses T-shirt and a pair of jeans (It was too hot for his trench coat, he claimed), and shook her head in exasperation. She decided it was time to end this madness.

"Remy, we've been walking around for _hours_. If you don't know which casino it is, just say so." She emphasized this statement by blowing her bangs off her face angrily. Remy cocked his head to the side, not unlike a wounded puppy, and asked, "Cherie, I'm getting de feeling dat something's wrong. Are you ok?"

"Remy, look around you. It's about a billion degrees out here, and Ah have to wear about seven layers just to make sure that Ah don't accidentally kill someone in this crowd. We've been walking around for hours and it's hot. All Ah wanna do...", she lowered her voice to a whisper, "is find the casino so we can do some recon so we can stick it to Fenris and leave." Rogue calmed down as Remy snaked an arm around her waist. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Look up."

Rogue slowly gazed upwards and she could've sworn the angels were singing their heavenly praises. In front of her, in all its ostentatious glory, was the magnificent Fenris casio. She wiped some sweat from her brow and grabbed Remy's arm. She cocked her head towards the casino,"Well...shall we?"

Smiling triumphantly, they entered into the casino and were met by a cool wave of air conditioning. "Remember Chere. We're tourists," Remy softly reminded. But his words were lost on Rogue.

She was looking around in amazement. The casino was _huge. _There were crowds of people all around, mostly business types, at the slot machines and blackjack tables. A few tables to their right a redheaded woman in a suit had just won at craps. She was jumping up and down in delight, but as Rogue watched, the woman began to float a little in her glee. Suddenly, two security guards came and whispered something in the woman's ear. She looked around sheepishly and slowly lowered herself to the floor.

"Wow, dey won't even let mutants be _mutants_ in dis place, eh chere," Remy muttered softly, as he led her near an unmarked door. "Yeah, Ah guess they're trying to keep a low profile." Rogue murmured back.

Remy put his head against the door while he pretended to tie his shoe. Rogue leaned nonchalantly against the doorway, as he listened for signs of people inside. She glanced around quickly, and to her surprise, no one had noticed the southerners despite their relaxed clothing in such a high class venue. Remy tugged at her gloved hand and proceeded to open the door. Rogue shut her eyes quickly assuming that an alarm would go off at any second. When no sound was heard, Remy swiftly ushered her in.

There were two ways that they could go: up the staircase to their left, or down the hallway to their right. _Lapin tol' me dat the map of de place is on the main computer in the control room upstairs, _Remy thought. But his fingers itched to find a little token he could steal as an extra kick in the shin to Fenris. He looked down the hallway and up the stairs, considering his choices, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They looked at each other and started to run down the hallway. A pair of security guards, mutants, materialized in front of them and took out their weapons.

They stopped short.

Rogue turned around as more security guards came behind them. They were trapped. Rogue offered a cheesy smile, "...heh, um do any of y'all know where the little girls' room is?" Remy looked at her exasperatedly. _What,_she thought. Then she noticed a lightbulb going off above Remy's head. She opened her mouth to say something else when Remy began to speak.

"Sorry about de troubles, mes amis, but de lady's had a bit too much to drink."

"Is that right?" One of the guards asked sarcastically, while reaching for his weapon.

"Yeah, I lost sight o' her awhile back, and den I saw her come into dis room. I guess she thought it was a bathroom." Remy nudged her gently. She piped up, slurring her words and making her accent more pronounced, "Remy lemme go, Ah gotta," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "pee." She started to chuckle, "Hey, that rhymes!_ Remy lemme_. Get it?"

Remy started to lead her away. Surprisingly, the guards seemed to buy it. Remy slowly exhaled a sigh of relief when suddenly Rogue tripped. A guard reached out to catch her, and grazed her collarbone. Rogue quickly got up and dragged Remy out, yelling "Sorry!" over her shoulder.

They ran and didn't look back until they were safely back inside their hotel room. As soon as they opened the door, Remy threw his hands up and flopped on the bed in annoyance.

"Well, _dat_ was a waste," he complained bitterly. Rogue came up behind him and started massaging his shoulders. She whispered in his ear.

"Not quite."

Remy turned to her. "How so?" Rogue reached for a pencil and the hotel pad and began sketching.

"The security guard that caught me gave me all the info we need."

Smiling triumphantly she finished the sketch and showed it to him. On it was a map of the inner workings of the casino. In the center was a room with stacks of money and the gem in the center.

"Okay...so let's make a new plan."

* * *

Whew...this one took me a while to write. Sorry guys. Lemme know your opinions and ideas. Thanks to the reviewers.- iloveromys


	8. Perfect Day for a heist

Disclaimer: I do not own anything...except for my hyperactive imagination and a few comic books and the RHPS dvd.

A/N: And now the moment you've all been waiting for...the heist.

* * *

**_Beep-Beep-Beep!!!!_**

The alarm clock's persistant buzzing made Remy wake up with a start. His aching muscles screamed at him to go back to sleep, but he knew he should just roll out of bed and get ready for the day. He turned over in the bed to gently rouse Rogue from her peaceful slumber, but to his surprise she wasn't there. From the lingering warmth in the spot that she once occupied, Remy knew that Rogue must have awakened recently.

Taking in his surroundings, he heard the sound of the shower running. _Figures_, he thought. He rolled out of bed and turned on the news as he got dressed. He looked at the time.

7:23 P.M.

Perfect.

Rogue chose that moment to exit the bathroom, leaving a small trail of steam behind her.

Remy was about to make a comment about her being smokin', when she piped up,

"'Morning, Sug. Or evenin' whichever way you wanna look at it." She opened the drapes in their hotel room. The sun had already set over the glittering city of Las Vegas. She laced up her boots and tied up her hair. Remy noticed that her hair had grown in the past couple of months, her bangs had grown out and they looked more like streaks. The way that Rogue fixed her hair made her look like a skunk. He smiled contentedly.

"What?" He paused and smiled contentedly.

"Perfect day for a heist, eh Chere."

* * *

"Remind me why we're doing this at 8:00 in the evening?" Rogue asked as they perched precariously atop the back of the Fenris casino. 

Remy grinned, "One, de guards should change shifts about now, so it'll be easier for us to sneak in unnoticed." He looked over at Rogue who was fumbling awkwardly with her belt loops. He reached over and grabbed her arm. She smiled gratefully, now that she had his support to lean on. _Funny, just like our relationship_, she mused.

From the beginning, even when he kidnapped her for Fenris, he had assured her that everything was going to be okay. And now, even when he could be at home in New Orleans, he chose to come with her on a string of heists to take Fenris down. She looked up at him with a sudden rush of emotion, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He was busy watching the guards through the skylight.

Rogue took this opportunity to double check the "bag of tricks" that Remy packed for her. In it was a bo staff, a thin steel rope that attatched to her belt, a few compact smoke bombs, and a decoy gem to put in its place. Remy motioned to her swiftly.

"It's time."

Remy charged the screws along the skylight just enough to loosen them. The screws glowed a faint pink and popped a little louder than they expected. They both held their breath to see if the guards noticed the explosions. When no one came, they lifted up the skylight and put it to the side. Remy charged a few cards and took out the few cameras that monitered the area, then stealthily lowered his rope and slid down. Rogue quickly followed him.

Once inside, they each ran towards a corner of the hallway. Remy peered around. No one was there. He turned back. Rogue mouthed the word "clear" to him. He nodded.

They ran down the hallway, made a left, and stopped at a nondescript door. Remy listened against it to see if there were any guards on the other side. Rogue shifted from one leg to another nervously. He took out a set of lockpicks and quickly dismantled the lock. He turned the doorknob slowly, and they entered a ...living room.

Remy skeptically asked, "Are you sure dis is the room, Chere?" The room looked like Martha Stewart herself decorated it. Remy cocked his head confusedly, trying to figure out what importance this room had to the von Struckers. He gestured towards Rogue, but she was already tugging ferociously at the sofa. She cried out impatiently.

"Don't just stand there, Swamp Rat, lend me a hand!" He rushed over and helped her move the sofa. She frantically rolled up the carpet underneath where the sofa had been, and there, to Remy's surprise, was a trapdoor.

Rogue looked at Remy. He gazed back at her. "Ready, Chere?"

"Only if you do it with me," she replied.

She reached around to an alarm key pad and disabled the alarm. Together, they opened the trapdoor. It whooshed open swiftly, as Remy's eyes nearly bulged out of his socket. True to Rogue's sketch, there were stacks and stacks of money. Remy quickly scanned the room. "Mon Dieu, dere must be a few billions in dere," he breathed softly. Rogue looked directly below and saw the gem of Cytorrak. She tugged at Remy's sleeve. "Look!" Remy reached into her bag and connected the rope through her belt on one end, and to a wall on the other. He turned to her.

"You're going to have to slide down there and get it." Features set, Rogue slid onto the floor and slowly began to lower herself through the trapdoor.

Suddenly, red scanning lasers began to circulate around the room. Panicked, Rogue looked back up at Remy. He placated her, "Just go down, chere. Dey won't get you." Quietly, Rogue continued upside down to the Gem. Remy interjected, "I still don't see why you don't take advantage. You're in a room filled with money, and all you want to take is dat stupid Gem?" Rogue swiped the Gem and made her way back up.

"Hey, if this "stupid gem" is as useful as they say it is, Ah sure wouldn't mind taking it off of Fenris' hands." Remy frowned.

"But are you sure dat dis is how you want to spend your life. One heist after another?" Rogue tiptoed up to him to show him how serious she was. "Only if you're with me, Prince of Theives."

Remy nodded his head solemnly, then broke out into a mischevious grin. "Okay den...let's go home and celebrate."

* * *

Finally! I was dying to finish this scene. Please review. I really want to know what you think. Also, if you have any ideas, possible directions, etc...let me know. Next up: Ultimate Juggernaut. 


	9. Unexpected visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own x-men etc...

* * *

"Jackpot! Woo!" Rogue exclaimed excitedly at the sonorous sounds of the slot machine dispensing her winnings. She looked around quickly, as if to call less attention to herself, despite the huge grin on her face. Remy appeared at her side with a sly smirk. 

"I thought dat you weren't gonna do any gambling tonight, eh Chere?" He sat down on the stool in between her and an old lady with a purple perm. She smiled coyly, "Well, Ah figured that one try won't hurt." At his arched eyebrow, she countered, "Besides...today is a lucky day ain't it? Might as well take advantage." She looked pointedly to the slight bulge in his coat, where the Gem was hidden.

"Touche," he replied. "Still, we've been here for a while now. I cashed my chips at de front an' we are now about $750 richer. Why don' we go out to see a show or grab some dinner."

Rogue interrupted quickly, "At 2:30 a.m.?"

He continued, "We're dressed to kill, Chere. We've had de greatest day together...and we might as well paint de town red." She extended a long red opera glove clad arm leisurely to his outstretched hand. She calmly set the bucket with her winnings next to her and nonchalantly stood up. The Southerners made their way slowly out of the casino. Rogue looked backwards at the last minute and saw the old lady inspect the bucket and smile almost evilly. Rogue smiled._ Ah hope that money lasts.

* * *

_

Once outside the casino Rogue inspected her surroundings. It was easy for her to get distracted here. She made some idle remark about the amount of magicians in Vegas when Remy suddenly stopped short. She abruptly bumped into him, and suddenly snapped out of it. Screams filtered in and out of her ears and she automatically tensed up. She saw a family of tourists run past them, and looked in the general direction of where they came from.

Her jaw dropped open. "Holy..." She trailed off. Towering in front of her was the absolute last person she thought she would run into in Las Vegas...Juggernaut. He was dressed in an outlandish costume, with what looked like ammo holders in the shape of an X on his chest, and a huge helmet screwed onto his head.

Remy pulled incessantly at her arm, but she shook out of his grasp.

"Cain?"

She moved confidently towards him, but was unprepared for what he did next. He picked her up as if she was a Barbie doll and held her aloft in the air.

Gambit rushed forward angrily. "Put her down," he shouted. Rogue squirmed around a bit. She looked at her old friend in the eye and said as calmly as she could muster. "Don't hurt me, Cain." She winced slightly when she realized that her voice cracked a little. At the sudden change in her voice, Remy quickly brought out a deck of cards. In his indignation he started rhythmically charging and uncharging them.

The giant known as Juggernaut started to chuckle softly. "Hurt you?" he questioned, as if the very idea was ridiculous. He paused. "Rogue... I love you."

At these words Remy accidently disintegrated one of his jokers. Rogue's pupil dilated slightly. _Well, that was random_, she thought. She took a deep breath and began sympathetically, "Cain..." Sensing his imminent rejection, Cain shifted her around. "Here, I'll show you." He earnestly pressed his hand on the uncovered portion of her arm between her glove and dress.

Rogue visibly shook as memories began to flood her being. She began to relive the few good times that she and Cain shared during their stint in weapon X, and felt his unbridled love and possessiveness towards her. The sudden rush of emotions and strength was too much for her to bear, and she promptly passed out.

Remy shouted, "Stop! Dat's too much for her. She'll pop!" He began to throw a few cards at him. Juggernaut looked down at him haughtily. He tossed Rogue to the side, knowing that his strength would prevent her from being hurt.

Remy lunged at him and assaulted him with a barrage of cards. The smoke cleared and Cain was unfazed. Remy brought out his bo staff and proceeded to try and trip him, but to no avail. The Juggernaut retaliated with a series of punches and kicks, which would have easily crushed Remy, had he not dodged them in time. Remy backed up slowly, as the realization that he was being cornered dawned on him. He reached into grab another deck of cards, and quickly threw the charged object at him. Remy gasped. He has accidently reached into the wrong pocket and had thrown the Gem of Cytorrak. Juggernaut smilled maliciously.

"Heh...that tickles." He took another step and was surprised to see that the asphalt cracked under his weight. "Feel stronger, too." he added. "Thanks, kid," he said before rearing back to slug Remy in the gut. Remy looked around wildly, and noticed a construction site bathed in the light of a nearby casino. _Dieu, I hope dis works_, he thought to himself, as he fingered a few cards. Charging them up to the max, he hurled them over Juggernaut's head. They crashed into the steel beams of the site behind them.

Juggernaut began to clap his hands mockingly. "I can't see why Rogue's with you. Your aim is horrible, and your hair's even worse."

Remy stared past Cain at the building. The beams hads started to loosen. He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes widened at the realization that his aim was off and the building was crashing down suddenly on them. He backed away slowly starting to run, when the monstrosity overtook them.

* * *

**meanwhile...**

Rogue began to come to on the other side of the fight. She blearily opened her eyes, and recognized the flourescent purple glare of Remy's cards, and heard them crash into...metal? She sat up slowly, hearing the sound of helicopters in the distance. She gazed over to the fight and noticed something wrong with the construction site behind them. She shot up suddenly. _Oh Gawd no..._

The next thing she knew, she was knocked on her feet by the impact of the building hitting the ground. _No..._

She ran to the site, to where she knew Gambit and Juggernaut were just fighting. Tears sprang to her eyes when she couldn't find them. Frantically, Rogue began sifting through the debris, not even realizing that she still had the strength of Juggernaut, which enabled her to toss the steel beams with ease. She triend desperately to keep her composure as she called out for Remy. _Ah know you're here. _

She tossed another bar, and recognized his trenchcoat. Kneeling beside him, she cradled his head on her lap, as he struggled to breathe.

"Sugah," she began but couldn't get the rest of the sentence out. Remy looked up at her, bleeding and bruised. He whispered hoarsely for a kiss. She began to cry quickly, protestingly. He patted her hand softly. She bent down and kissed him gently. He smiled, and then went still.

Rogue let out a small moan, a pure animalistic sign of grief...and slowly let Remy's instinct take over. Amidst the panic and adreneline she felt, one word rang out in her mind...**_Run.

* * *

_**

A sad chappie. Very ambigious, eh. r&r. -iloveromys 


	10. Run

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, especially Remy's Rose and Professor Horatio Hufnagel. I hope I didn't give you a heart attack. The climax was very ...climactic, wasn't it. Hehe...

* * *

It was about 3:30 in the morning in downtown Las Vegas, but far from quiet. Various emergency vehicles were deployed in front of the construction site, and news reporters were interviewing witnesses. Rogue stared hollowly at the scene before her as the light from the EMT truck illuminated the lone tear making its way down her cheek. She was standing unnoticed on a nearby rooftop, struggling to keep her composure. For the past 45 minutes she had battled internally with the inner Remy taking over. In fact, until ten minutes ago, when she caught a glimpse of her reflection, she thought that she _was _Remy.

Suppressing his instinct to run was the hardest part of all. Remy was yelling at her, _pleading with her,_ to get away from there. She had to argue with him to at least let her return to the scene. For what, she didn't know.

Denial is a very comfortable and euphoric state (1). It was the only thing keeping her sane. As long as she didn't see the body, Remy was alive. Right?

A sudden motion caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat as the paramedics wheeled out a lone figure on a stretcher. It was too much for her. Rogue turned on her heel and ran to the rooftop door. Heart racing, she made her way to the car that Remy had "rented" and started to drive off.

* * *

**six days later. **

Rogue drove up to the magnificant gates of the Xavier mansion, completely exhausted. She had barely slept in the past week. Rogue reached over to the next seat for her gloves and put them on, hoping that they wouldn't explode. She furrowed her brow worriedly and checked her reflection in the mirror. Instead of bright green eyes, she was met with dull red on black ones. _Dieu, Ah look lahke crap. _She grimaced. Her accent had thickened and blended into a mix of Cajun and Mississippian dialects.

She took a deep breath and got out of the car. Undoubtably, Wolverine already smelled her coming. Just thinking about how they left things caused knots to form in her stomach. She paused at the front door. She could feel the sweat forming on her hands, and reached for the door. To her surprise, it was open.

As soon as she walked in, she could tell something was up. Following the voices, she walked into the rec. room, only to find Peter sitting down, looking beaten and worn. Apparently he had just gotten in an argument. She lingered at the door, unsure of what to say. She cleared her throat, and lamely offered, "De more things change, huh Pete." Colossus turned around, shocked.

"Rogue?!?"

* * *

(1) Prof. H.Hufnagel, thanks for the inspiration for the third paragraph. You and Remy's Rose inspire me to write, especially with the last reviews. I admit, I'm gonna be a little stuck, so I need some ideas now that Rogue's back home. This goes for any other readers, too. It's clinically proven: reviews are a cure for writers block. 


	11. Explanations

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!! At ALL

A/N: You know, i love romys, but do you know what else I love? Reviews. So thank you for all the great, productive reviews.

* * *

Rogue sighed and rubbed her eyes blearily. Surprisingly, her first night back was uneventful. A few students had come by to welcome her back, but so far, she was avoiding Wolverine, Kitty, Bobby, and Ororo. She sat up in her bed and began to shuffle a deck of cards. The steady, rhythmic pace relaxed her, and she saw why Gambit did it so much. It turned out that she had picked up a lot from Remy lately, for example, shoplifting, drinking coffee with chicory, and French, whether it be Cajun or otherwise. 

Tentatively, she charged a card. It turned a faint pink lemonade color, then increased in hue as she focused on it more. She stared, transfixed, as the glow illuminated the room. Suddenly, the door swung open. Startled, she quickly uncharged the card. Bobby was standing in her doorway, looking very much as if he had sprinted to her room. He took a few steps in, nonchalantly leaned against a door, and started to speak.

"Rogue...you're back." It came out more of a question than a statement. He looked down shamefully, and shuffled his feet. "I just came to apologize about how we left things back in Coney Island." Rogue nodded silently, her anger resurfacing and increasing by the word. He continued. "I kissed Kitty. I don't know why. I guess to prove..." Rogue angrily cut him off. All the rage and frustration burst forth as if it was contained behind a rapidly crumbling dam. "To prove **_what_**, Bobby? What can you possibly prove by kissing another girl? What lame excuse were you going to feed me? To see if you loved me? If you could be with a girl who can't touch? Dat _hurt, _Bobby. And you came to apologize?! You know what, Ah don't wanna hear it."

He looked up shocked. "Rogue, don't do this. I just...nevermind. I'll go." He turned and headed to the door, but paused before leaving, and added. "Just know that I care about you still, and if you want to talk, you know where to find me." He left dejectedly.

Rogue flopped down on her bed. _Ah can't believe this. Now all Ah need is to bump into Kitty. Thank Gawd she was out with Spiderman last night. Ah don't know how Ah'm gonna keep sane around here._

Remy's voice popped up. _**Don' worry 'bout dem, Chere. **_

"Who," Rogue asked.

_**De X-men. Bobby. It's gonna take some time, but you'll get used to it. Trust me. **_

"But how do you know? It's awkward, and Ah don't really know how to go about things." She felt her inner Remy smile. _**Because you're you. You adapt easily. Don't worry, you'll be fine. **_

Piotr knocked at the door, interrupting her conversation. "Rogue?" She looked up expectantly. "The Professor wants to see you."

She got up slowly, her feeling of dread increasing. "T'anks, Pete." Together, they walked out of the room and headed into the Professor's study. Rogue noticed that everyone was there. She turned back around as if to flee, but Piotr reassuringly pushed her forward.

"Professer, you wanted to see me?" she asked curiously, looking around the room. Several people refused to make eye contact, while others were staring at her eyes. Xavier leaned forward in his wheelchair.

"Yes, Rogue. Please take a seat." She sat down in between Piotr and Kurt. The professor continued, "Now I realize that when you left, you were under significant emotional distress. I do not blame you for leaving, although I think you were a bit irrational."

Rogue nodded wordlessly. "That does not mean that we are unhappy to see you back in one piece. We are a team, after all, and we are grateful that you feel that you still have a home with us. However, your return was sudden, and there are obvious...changes in you. We want to be here for you, but only if you let us. If you do not feel ready to share the details of your absence with us, that is fine, but..."

She cut him off gently. "Thank you Professor Xavier. Ah think Ah owe y'all at least an explanation. " She looked around at all her teammates, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Remy's dead."

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "It's all my fault," she continued. "After the night Ah left, Remy and Ah went to New Orleans. Ah wanted to get revenge on Fenris. Ah had..._have_ some of their memories, and thought maybe we could take them down. And Remy was supportive." She considered telling them about the heists she had pulled, including Vegas, but decided against it and continued.

"We were in Vegas last week, Ah got into a fight with Juggernaut. Cain Marko, my old cell mate at Weapon X. Remember him Kurt?" Nightcrawler spoke up.

"Ja, but you _fought _him? The rumor was that he was in love with you." Rogue laughed bitterly.

"He was. He came to find me, to let me know. Remy came to defend me and..." She trailed off. Peter softly patted her gloved hand.

"He was dying and Ah kissed him. That's why mah eyes are like dis. Dis has never happened before. It's been a week and he's still here, with me... Ah left before he died. For all Ah know he's still alive, but for the shape he was in..." She visibly crumpled. "Ah don't know why Ah'm back, but he would've wanted me to be safe. Here. So thanks for welcoming me, and Ah'm sorry for leavng like that."

Rogue stood up and ran out of the room. The room was silent for a few seconds. Jean looked at her hands. "Poor kid," she said. She looked over at Scott trying to imagine what she would do in the same situation. The Professor cleared his throat.

"I can't imagine how hard this must have been for Rogue. Please, do not pressure her to divulge anymore. She is hurting terribly, and will bring it up when she is ready."

* * *

**_Meanwhile in a Las Vegas hospital_**

A nurse whistled to herself as she walked into room 212 in the coma ward. Clucking her tongue, approached the broken figure in the bed, and checked his I.V. She hummed a sad melody as she busied herself with her usual routine. Her thoughts drifted to the young man in the bed. _**Bendito**, this kid's been here about a week already and is still in coma. It's not surprising though, he was beaten up pretty badly. And no family, no visiters have come. It's a shame._

The nurse walked out of the room. The young man stirred slowly, and opened his red on black eyes. He squinted at the bright light, then rolled over and faded back into the darkness.

* * *

A/N: Well if that's not a big enough hint of what's coming up, I don't know what is. I hope this random act of kindness promotes many a joyous review, because I was thisclose to killing off Remy.Who knows? Nothing's permanent. ; ). 


	12. Consequences

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING!!

* * *

**Three months later**

In the calm silence of a new morning, a young Mississipian bred (and New Orleanian by default) woman took the opportunity to spend some time alone. She softly padded from her room, down the hall, the stairs, and into the gigantic kitchen. Rogue looked through the window and stretched happily. Today was going to be a good day. She could feel it.

It wasn't anything particular that provoked her sudden happiness; on the contrary, she felt revived, _alive_. It was as if she had completed a period of mourning; she was like a phoenix, rising from the ashes.

Rogue began to whistle as she reached in various compartments, reflecting as she looked for the pancake mix. She felt _happy,_ for th first time since Remy's death_. Death_, she mused_, Ah can say it now...accept it now. _

And in a new way she felt free, liberated. As she poured the first batch onto the griddle, she sighed, happy to have a weight off her shoulders.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling of tension behind her. Turning sharply, she came face to face with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resident badass, Nick Fury, who looked as if he was ready to toss her out.

And just like that, her good mood began to disintegrate. _Dammit._

Rogue smiled mock-cheerily, and said in her best Paula Deen impersonation. "Hiya, Sugah. Mr. Fury, isn't it? How may Ah help you today?"

Fury looked even more pissed ( if that was even possible). Rogue sweetly continued, "Ah mean, Ah'm assuming you're here for a reason. Because obviously, you just wouldn't barge into our humble abode just for some pancakes. Although, you _are _welcome to have some, if you wish. Please sit down, can Ah get you a drink."

The man known as Nick Fury just adjusted himself to a more intimidating position, and countered. "No, I don't want any damn pancakes! Look, you look like you're a bright girl, so maybe you can tell me why I'm here. After your stint in Weapon X, which _S.H.I.E.L.D._ helped _rescue_ you from, you were sent here. To the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning." He paused, as Rogue casually flipped over the pancakes.

"Nowhere did it say that you could run off with a thief, and **_rob rich businesspeople!!_**"

Rogue calmly sidestepped around him and reached for the syrup. Fury went on, "Now I know what you stole, and I want it back. Fenris is very charitable to us, and we'd hate to lose their sponsership. Andreas personally contacted me. They want the gem...or _you_. So give it back, or I swear to God I will drag you there and hand you over myself. Are we clear?"

Rogue shrugged noncommittedly as Nick readjusted his eyepatch and motioned to leave.

"You have a week."

She waved him off. _Bastard. _

Almost on cue, Fury walked back in and said, "Tell Wolverine to call me...and enjoy the pancakes."

Yep it was going to be a good day indeed.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the Assassins headquarters**

Belladonna Bordreaux was pissed.

She barked into her new cellphone, "Dammit, LaRue, I thought you said dat Remy LeBeau was dead!" She paused to hear her henchman's pitiful excuses, and became more irritated by the second.

"Well obviously you t'ought wrong. It was an easy mark. All you had to do was get de Juggernaut to start a fight and finish him." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she sank into her extravagent suede armchair.

"Well, where is he now. Vegas Memorial? OK, bien." With that, she snapped her phone shut, and began to pack. Her friend Sophie came in, fresh from a "job."

Sophie looked curiously back and forth between Belladonna and her Louis Vuitton suitcase on the bed.

"Where ya going, Belle?"

Belladonna looked up. "To finish the job. I swear you can't get any good help dese days." And with that she finished packing, and headed out.

* * *

A/N: I hate writer's block. Lemme know if you like the spin of this. It's something different. I have a plan (sorta), but your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys. 


	13. Lucky number 13

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to anything. Seriously, that's sad.

* * *

**Twenty minutes later**

Rogue sat watching the steady ticking of the clock as people started to sleepily file into the kitchen.

"'Morning, Rogue," Scott yawned, piling a few pancakes on his plate.

"Hey Scott," She replied.

Logan stalked into the kitchen sniffing periodically. Rogue watched him intensely.

"Hey kid, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure." She scraped the last of her food into the trash can and followed him out into the hallway. Rogue looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. Nervously, she reached into her back pocket and took out a deck of cards and shuffled them. They still retained the glossy feel despite their constant use.

_Flick Flick Flick_

"Let's cut to the chase, kid. Who was here and what did they want?" He focused his gaze on her, testing her honesty. She looked up at him cooly, testing him.

"Ah don't know what you mean."

"Cut the crap, kid. I wasn't born yesterday. You've been acting a little funny ever since you came back, and I know Chuck told us not to pressure you, but something's wrong, and I want to know what." Alarmed at his outburst, Rogue dragged him down the hall and into an empty room. She sighed and stared at him with such intensity that Logan could have sworn her eyes glowed a notch brighter.

"Okay, you wanna know what happened in Vegas? Everything? Ah'll tell you, but only if you help me out. Ah'm in deep trouble."

* * *

Half and hour later, Rogue and Logan were strapped into the X-jet on their way to Vegas. She inwardly smirked.

_That was easy. _Rogue looked out the window of the X-jet, itching for a smoke. _Damn Cajun and his habits. _

She reached for her deck of cards and line up her cards to play solitaire. Logan gave an annoyed grunt, put the jet on autopilot, and asked, "Can I see those, kid?"

"Sure," she replied casually, and handed them over. He looked at them, seemingly admiring their finish, and promptly chucked them in the trash.

Rogue made a small sound of protest. He glanced over and chuckled, with a mischevious look in his eye.

"I had to think of some way to get you to stop playing with them. You forget, my sensitive hearing. It sounds like you're chopping wood to me."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Boo hoo," she mock cried.

"Ha ha," Logan deadpanned. He got up and stretched his back.

"Hey kid," he began. "I don't like lying to Chuck, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Plus, I don't want you to get into trouble with Fury. Now lemme get this straight: We gotta find this Gem from a hole in the ground and return it to those freaks, while avoiding said freaks, in only one week."

She nodded solemnly. "Did you see it before you left the site?"

"Nope. Ah was a little preoccupied with the death of my **boyfriend.**" She looked down bitterly. Logan reached out to her.

"It's not your fault, kid."

"Ah know. It's just...he would still be alive if Ah didn't have this stupid vendetta against Fenris. It wasn't worth it, you know?"

"You don't know that, kid. People die all the time." She looked up at him shocked at his bluntness. "They do. It's a fact of life. But what matters is that he was happy. _You _were happy. It's better to die happy, than be miserable."

Rogue smiled, "Thanks, Logan."

"Seriously, though. We have to comb the site for that gem. Hopefully, we'll find it before Fenris finds us. Now buckle up, we're landing soon."

* * *

A/N: First off, I have a plan. But any and all suggestions are more than welcome ( Prof. H.H.) :) . I hope Wolverine wasn't too occ, but i like the paternal relationship between him and Rogue. Review would be very much appreciated.


	14. The Fourteenth Hour

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the imagination behind this story. Go figure.

* * *

**Las Vegas **

Logan squinted against the onslaught of heat and sunlight in front of the construction site near the casino while Rogue was busy talking to a worker on his lunch break.

They had decided to ask around if anyone had seen the pink gem and reported it to the authorities, as Rogue assumed that it would go for a lot of money and bring a hefty reward.

Logan sniffed around...for what, he didn't know. It wasn't as if he knew what the damn thing _smelled _like. _And besides_, he mused_, the scent's long gone by now. _

He saw Rogue jogging towards him from the corner of his eye with a defeated look on her face.

"Well, Hector over there tells me that they haven't seen anything out of the ordinary since the accident, but they were pretty pissed off that they had to redo three months' work." She gazed upwards at the giant steel beams and whistled.

"Ah guess ah would be, too." As an afterthought, she added, "Ah can't believe that ah lifted all of those."

Logan nodded in appreciation. "Always knew you had it in you, kid."

"So, should we head back?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, maybe we could scout the casino."

Suddenly, Rogue saw a faint glimmer of light on the other side of the site. She stared disbelievingly at it for a few seconds, before it disappeared. _Oh no you don't. _

"Logan, stay here. Ah'll be back," she cried as she chased after the it. Her heart thudded deep in her chest. _Come on, Come on..._

"Yes!" She cried. In front of her was a big pink stone. It sparkled auspiciously. She steadied herself, checked back over her shoulder for Logan, but he was facing the other direction, lighting up a cigar.

Rogue eagerly reached out to grab it, when she felt a sharp prick in her neck. She stumbled slowly, her vision blurring, and weakly groaned. The last things she heard before she hit the ground was the sound of tsking, and a syrupy sweet voice say, "Poor dear, seems like you'll always chase after riches," before swiftly kicking her in the side.

And then she blacked out.

* * *

**Lous Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans.**

Belladonnawalked briskly to her gate, manuvering skillfully through the crowds of clueless tourists in town for Mardi Gras. She had a random worker carry her $15,000 Louis Vuitton suitcase trail approximately 10 feet behind her. She text-messaged various people on her Blackberry, while simultaneously chattering on her bluetooth. Clearly, she was a connected woman.

She mentally went over her "to-do list" : _1. Fly to Vegas. 2. Find the hospital where LeBeau is staying. 3. Kill the S.O.B. _

With any luck he would be dead before six o'clock tonight. She smiled. _Perfect. _

_

* * *

_

A/N: Oh no!! Seems like our heroine has some exra trouble on her hands. Who is this mystery attacker? Will Belladonna carry out her evil plan? Find out next time. Chapter 15 next!!


	15. Plot twist, anyone?

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Big surprise.

A/N: Thanks to the reviewers, especially **Professor Horatio Hufnagel, **for being an inspiration, helping me out, and cheerleading me on; **Remy's Rose, **for the always funny comments, and **4rogue and NightWarrior,** for reassuring me that this is coming out "better than the crap we got in ultimate." lol. btw, **NightWarrior, **you always have an uncanny way of anticipating plot twists...or changing them.

* * *

**Louis Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans**

_"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'THERE'S A DELAY!'" _

The frenzied cry of one, Belladonna Bordeaux, echoed throughout the terminal, temporarily hushing the crowds. She rounded on the poor attendant, who merely continued to file her nails.

"Ma'am." The lady said calmly. "I understand that you are upset, but throwing a temper tantrum is not going to make the flight leave any faster."

The vein on Belladonna's neck pulsed angrily. "Listen here," she peered at the attendent's nametag, "...Tina. I have a very important business meeting in Las Vegas in 6 hours. That gives me barely enough time to fly out, get my bags, a decent hotel, and arrive 5 minutes early." She paused, then lowered her voice slightly.

"I have five hundred dollars with your name on it, _if_ you can get me out there sooner."

Tina arched a pencil drawn eyebrow.

Belladonna smiled smugly...Until a cop came up behind her. "Are you threatening to bribe an airline employee? Do you realize that's a felony?"

The vein on her neck came dangerously close to popping. How was she gonna explain** _this_**, to Marius?

* * *

**Las Vegas **

Wolverine turned sharply when he smelled a sudden rush of adreneline and panic. He sniffed again, harder. Something was wrong.

"Rogue!" He shouted, quickly scanning the construction site for her. He ran towards the general direction that she took off for earlier. She was nowhere to be seen. _No...I can't lose her again. _

A small breeze floated by, carrying her scent, mingled with something else. His eyes narrowed into slits. _Bingo.

* * *

_

**Secret Base, Unknown**

Rogue tossed and turned on a hard cot, haunted by other people's nightmares. She was in a cramped, locked room, furnished with only a cot, a bowl of water, and a two way mirror.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, breaking her from her tortured "rest." She sprang out of bed, only to be forced back down by the chains that were attached to her wrists and the cot.

Panicked, she tried to remember who or what brought her here, and where she was before. She tugged at the chains, once, twice, wishing that she had the strength to break them, but to no avail.

A merciless cackling drifted to her ears, and she looked up, venom in her eyes. Standing in front of her were the androgynous von Struckers.

Andreas stepped forward. "Well, well, look who decided to drop in." He promptly backhanded Rogue across the face. She bit back a groan.

"Where is it," he demanded. He reached over and grabbed her by the hair. She winced as he pulled her to his level.

"Idiot girl, do you realize the value of that Gem? Can you possibly fathom its importance?" His nostrils flared in disgust. "It has come to our attention that Nick Fury gave you a week to return to us what is rightfully ours. Quite frankly, a week is too much. You have 48 hours."

He released Rogue, shoving her back on the bed.

"48 hours? Or what."

Andreas turned back towards her.

"Do you need an incentive? Fine." He pulled out a sleek remote control, and pressed a few buttons. A flat screen t.v. materialized from the ceiling and lowered itself to their level.

Rogue snickered. "Is this how you're gonna torture me? Make me watch Knight Rider over and over?" (A/N: Sorry. Cheap shot, I know.)

Fortunately, he chose to ignore her comment. Instead, he grinned pompously and turned on the television. Rogue's eyes widened with shock as it flickered to life. There, in front of her, was a living, breathing Remy Lebeau.

Rogue had to steady herself as she watched the video. Remy was awake, breathing, but still bruised and battered. He was chatting quietly with a nurse in some sort of hospital room. She opened her mouth to question Andreas when he suddenly shut off the television.

"So you see, we have something that you want. And you have something that we want. Give us the Gem, and your Prince Charming stays alive. Simple. Any questions?"

Rogue just shook her head disbelievingly. "You bastards. For months Ah thought he was dead. Do you know what that does to a person?"

Obviously, he thought it was a rhetorical question, because he didn't answer. He just motioned for Andrea to leave. Rogue honestly forgot that she was in the room. Andreas moved next to her, too close for comfort.

"Tell me, now. Is it true that you lost your powers?" His gaze roved over her. She backed up as fast as she could without feeling overly naseous. He turned back to Andrea, who still hadn't exited the room.

"You can leave."

She was looking at him with cold fury. "No. You can leave."

What happened next was too bizarre for Rogue to consider. Andrea von Strucker, at least, that's who she thought she was, pulled out a small gun, shot Andreas twice in the back, and then...morphed into someone else. Cold blue eyes turned to yellow. Blond hair turned to dark red, and pale skin turned to blue.

Rogue had to stifle her scream.

* * *

A/N: How's THAT for a plot twist! HAHA! I'm extremely proud of this chapter! I hope you like it, too. Any or all questions, comments, reviews, good or bad, will be Greatly Appreciated. And thanks again to all who already have, -iloveromys


	16. revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own anything...except my appreciation for my reviewers ; ) Thank you all very much.

* * *

_Rogue had to stifle her scream._

She was speechless. Standing in front of her was _not_ Andrea von Strucker, but a blue skinned woman. She crossed over to Rogue and quickly released her from the handcuffs and wrapped her in a hug.

_Okay. _Rogue thought. _This is way too weird. _Actually, her thoughts were more along the lines of _WTF._ Same difference.

The woman squatted down and examined her face. She grimaced and pulled Rogue up to her feet.

"You'll get a black eye. Are you hurt?" She realized the redundancy of that question and clarified, "Can you walk? I'll get you to safety, but you have to play along with me."

She quickly changed into the likeness of Andreas. "Let's go," she ordered.

"Wait!" Rogue whispered just as they were about to exit the room. "Who are you?"

The woman regarded her curiously. "Don't you remember, Rogue? It's _me_. _Mama_."

* * *

**Somewhere outside the undisclosed base**

Logan looked down as he felt an unfamiliar vibration in his jacket pocket. _Crap, I forgot Chuck made me bring a phone._ He slowly reached for it, praying that it was a telemarketer or something.

"Yeah, Chuck."

"Hello, Logan. I was just checking in to see how you two were doing. Did you have a nice flight?" _The world's most powerful telepath doesn't know if my flight was nice or not? We took the X-jet, for Chrissakes!_

"Uhh, yeah," he answered agitatedly. "Actually, I can't talk to you now. I'll call you in a few hours."

He went to slam the phone shut, when he heard Professor Xavier ask "How is Rogue doing?"

Logan grinded his teeth. "She's _fine_, Charles. Anyway, gotta go. Bye." He sighed with relief as he finally ended the conversation.

He was definitely in deep shit.

* * *

Rogue stared at the woman. 

"Look, don't do this to me. Ah've been cheated on, drugged, kidnapped, and blackmailed more times than Ah can count. Ah don't need to be lied to either, Lady."

"I'm _not _lying...and for now call me Mystique." She had a pained look on her, no, Andreas' face. "I promise I'll explain everything to you later, but right now we have to get out of here." She/he put the handcuffs back on and prepared to open the door, when Rogue quietly asked, "How can Ah trust you?"

Mystique sighed exasperatedly. "I rescued you, didn't I?"

"But you claim to be my _mom_? You can probably look like her in a second if you did your research well enough. So I'm not buying it."

Rogue sat back down on the cot. Mystique looked at her with equal stubborness.

"Well, how do you know that the woman you thought was your mom wasn't just me in disguise?"

"I don't know! Just give me some sort of proof," she challenged.

"Your name is Marian. You've never liked it, except when we got you that book on Robin Hood. You're seventeen, eighteen in May. Need I go on?," Mystique triumphantly rattled off.

Rogue's eyes widened, then she regained her composure. "So," she said. "You could have read that on a file."

Mystique looked sadly at Rogue.

"You're just going to have to trust me. I can get you out of here and get Fenris," she peered at Andreas' body on the floor, "or at least what's left of them off your back. All I ask is you let me help you. And let me explain." She took Rogue's hand in hers.

"_Please."_

Rogue stared at Mystique critically, then glanced at her surroundings and present condition. Her gaze softened.

"Fine," she conceded. "But when we get out of here Ah have to make a few calls."

* * *

**45 minutes later**

**"You're WHERE!!!" **

Rogue winced and brought the cell phone away from her ear.

"Jesus, Logan, for someone with super hearing, you sure yell pretty loudly," she joked feebly. She winced again as another wave of arguments came through the phone." She waited until he took a breath of air. "Look Ah'm not sure 'what her angle is,' but what could it hurt? Besides it'll only be for a few days."

She glanced at Mystique, who was lounging on the couch.

"Just tell the Professor that Ah went to visit some family... If this lady's for real, then technically, it isn't a lie." _And Gawd knows that you hate lying to telepaths. _

"Ah'll be fine. Yeah, all meet you back at the hotel in three days. 0900, yes sir. OK Bye."

Mystique let out a breath of relief.

"Well. He didn't sound happy."

Rogue chuckled slightly. "Yeah, he kinda has a tiny problem with me running off with strangers."

She walked over to where Mystique was seated and looked at the book that she was idly flipping through.

"Is that a photo album?"

"Yes. Of my life. Your life. Irene's life."

"Aunt Irene!" she gasped. She remembered an old blind aunt named Irene, who always seemed to know what she was going to do before she could do it. As a small child, she was annoyed by it, and her annoyance turned to guilt when Irene passed away. She struggled with that guilt for a long time after that.

"Irene was my closest friend. I loved her dearly and still miss her," said Mystique with a touch of sadness in her voice.

Rogue somberly looked through the album.

There were a few polaroids where Mystique was in her natural form, but the majority of other photos were of a black haired beauty. Some had captions under them.

_Raven and Irene. _

_Raven at the beach._

Then there were others, with her in the form of Rogue's "mom."

_Me and Rogue. _

And of Rogue growing up.

_Rogue at four. _

_Rogue, halloween._

Rogue stared.

Mystique began to explain. "I'm an assassin. A mutant rights activist. I've been on the 'good side,' and the 'bad side.' I loved Charles Xavier. I follow Magneto."

She paused briefly. "When I had you I couldn't be there for you. Not while I was flying around the world killing people for a living. So I left you with a young couple. Priscilla and Owen. They raised you, for the most part, although Priscilla let me spend time with you whenever I had the chance."

Rogue piped up. "But Ah never saw you in your natural form. Or as Raven."

"I was disguised as Priscilla."

"But why didn't anyone tell me."

"Would you have believed it?" countered Mystique.

Rogue shook her head. _But Ah do now._

"All right. Do Ah call you 'momma' now?" she smiled at Mystique.

She beamed. "For now, just call me Raven."

"Okay, Raven. What now?"

"We have to find a way to get you out of trouble with Fury and Fenris' people, safely back with the X-men, and take Remy with you."

Her confidence was strong, infectous. Rogue gazed into her mother's face and was instantly assured that things were going to be okay.

They were fighters.


	17. Can't we all just hug it out?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with X-men, Marvel, or Stan Lee. Sucks to be me.

* * *

Rogue breathed in and out, slowly, rhythmically, letting her body and mind unwind. She sat meditating in a corner of Raven's apartment. To her surprise, it relaxed her, putting to rest her cynical views on "sitting on the floor for hours." Raven had suggested it to her as a way to stay centered, to not let her emotions consume her. Come to think of it, she vaguely remembered Jean meditating next to her favorite tree on the day she was kidnapped by Remy. 

_Remy._ What was she going to do about Remy? She breathed in and pictured him in that hospital bed. She felt a sudden rush of anger at the months she had spent blaming and hating herself for leaving him. She'd often wondered if he would have survived had she rushed him to the hospital right away, or had she not kissed him.

In some ways the kiss was a blessing and a curse. It had cancelled out her powers and literally brought herself closer to Remy. It had also reassured her that he loved her. The emotions that flowed in from him were genuine. He couldn't fake those.

But when he died she was devastated. She was convinced it was her fault. And no matter what, she couldn't forgive herself for that.

And now he was back from the dead. Well, almost. He wasn't dead to begin with, apparently. And that angered her so much. That she didn't know that he was alive. She didn't even bother to check, to make sure. She felt like she had abandoned him.

Suddenly, the door to the apartment creaked open. Rogue jumped up, swiftly wiping away the tears she hadn't even known she cried. Mystique peeked her head through the door.

"Good Morning," she greeted. Rogue smoothed out the nonexistent creases in her outfit.

"Morning," she muttered. Mystique looked over, concerned. "I have some good news," she announced. Rogue merely glanced at her. She continued, "I made a few phone calls. It turns out Remy's going to be released any day now. Today, even, if he feels like it. How would you like to be the one to take him home?"

Rogue looked at her dubiously. "Can Ah do that?"

Raven chuckled heartily. "You have a lot to learn."

* * *

**Las Vegas Memorial**

Rogue squinted as she charged down the hospital corridor. _23-E_, she thought, _Coma ward. _She was actually suprised that more of the rooms weren't taken up, but then again you don't often hear about comatose people...unless they came in contact with her old power, of course. She glanced around critically, lamenting about the glare of the hospital lights. Even thought it had been months with Remy's eyes, she still wasn't used to their sensitivity. Rogue reached into her purse and put on a pair of sunglasses, half to conceal her eyes, and half to protect them. She looked up and realized that she was standing in front of room 23-E. She mentally prepared herself and walked in the room.

"Remy." That was all she said. She didn't rush into his arms, or start crying hysterically. She simply greeted him, hoping with all her heart that he would recognize her.

He looked up at her and his jaw dropped open.

"Chere," he said. He slowly pushed himself up off the bed to get up, to embrace, to stare at the woman he had dreamed about all these months, when suddenly the spell was broken as a bullet shattered the window and whizzed narrowly past his face.

Rogue gasped and ran towards the window. Across the street, on top of a nearby building, was a _very_ pissed off blonde reloading her sniper rifle.

* * *

A/n: Sorry it's been so long, guys. Please leave comments. Thanks 


	18. What the hell is going on!

Disclaimer: I do not own x-men etc...

A/N: Ok, guys I'm back. I'm ready to get back to the story and I hope I do it some justice. It's funny what a bit of inspiration can do to a gal.

* * *

**Las Vegas Memorial **

"Holy Spirit!!" Rogue yelled as dragged Remy off the hospital bed onto the floor. Above her, bullets whizzed by, shattering flower vases, no doubt, given to Remy by some adoring nurses. She struggled to keep her breathing normal as the adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"Owww," Remy whined as he rubbed his sore behind.

Rogue looked up, startled. "Did you get hit?" He shook his head embarrassedly. "Just wit' de floor." Remy caught her eye and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You can make it up to me later, if you want."

Rogue couldn't believe it. Here, in the midst of a shootout, he was still trying to get in her pants. Scratch that- it didn't surprise her very much. At least she knew that it was the same Remy.

"Not now, Rems."

The shooting stopped. All was silent and eerie. Rogue looked at Remy. Remy looked at Rogue. She was the first to break the silence.

"Who de hell was that?!"

"Long story, chere." Remy gingerly tried to shift upwards, but Rogue held him down.

"How do you know that she's gone?" He shrugged calmly.

"Why does dis seem lahke dis isn't the first time you've been shot at?"

Silence...

"Jesus Christ, Remy! By de same woman?"

He just gave her that irresistable cheeky grin.

* * *

Logan charged menacingly towards the hospital in front of him, with Rogue's scent increasing with every step he took. This was the last time he listened to one of her cockamamie schemes. Look where it got him. In the middle of friggin Vegas looking for a kid who was on her second kidnapping. 

He stopped short as he heard the unmistakable whizz of bullets from a sniper rifle. But from where?

He sniffed once. Twice. He licked his lips nervously. _Damn wind, _he thought. Who the hell could be shooting up a hospital? In broad daylight?

A breeze floated gently by him and he broke into a run. He smelled Rogue. Specifically, her sheer panic.

Slowly, it dawned on him. Whoever it was was after Rogue. He growled as he unsheathed his claws.

Not if he could help it.

* * *

"Okay... This is awkward." 

"Remy don' mind."

Awkwardly nestled on the floor, surrounded by broken glass, were our luckless heroes. Remy Lebeau, clad in an assless hospital gown fiddled with a lock of Rogue's hair. Rogue, however, sat trying not to make the slivers of glass that had embedded themselves in her forearm cut any deeper.

"So," she whispered. "Do you think she's gone?"

"Bella? Nope."

"Well this is useless. What are we going to do? My cell's in my bag, and it's not like we can scream for help."

"Well, Chere, I guess we better enjoy de moment before we get killed." Rogue stared seriously at him.

"You already died once, Remy Lebeau. Ah'm not gonna-"

BAM!

With a bang, the hospital door slammed open as Logan tore into the room. He paused to catch his breath and surveyed the damage. The windows were completely blown out, there were glass and ceramic everywhere, half the sheets were dragged off the bed, numerous bullet holes littered the wall, and to make it worse he now knew precisely what color birthmark that damn cajun had on his rear.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON," he yelled. before a barrage of bullets ripped through his entire body.

"Logan!" Rogue screamed.

Wordlessly he sank to the floor.

Rogue was livid. She reached down next to her, found the biggest piece of debris she could, lit it up until it nearly burned her hand, and chucked it for all it was worth. And she used to play softball as a kid, so her aim was still pretty good.

Luckily for Belladonna, it sailed right past her. However, it landed right on the arsenal of weapons she had laid neatly at her feet.

Rumor has it she was killed, not by the blast, but by her own sword that flew through the air from the force of the explosion.

* * *

Rogue panted heavily, feeling triumphant from her victory. Behind her Remy slowly gathered himself together and got dressed. 

Police sirens wailed in the distance.

"Chere, let's go." Remy tugged at her arm. He stared amazedly at his girlfriend.

She had killed his ex-fiancee.

He blinked.

In fact, she didn't even know that they were ever engaged. At least, he didn't think she knew. He shook his head, seeing Rogue in a new light. He was afraid that he didn't like what he saw.

Beside him, Logan stirred. He observed the scene around him. Remy was gaping like a fish, and Rogue was staring out the window.

More precisely, at a large crater on the corner of the adjacent building.

"Let's go," he barked.

Remy just stared blankly at him.

"Now!"

* * *

**Xavier School for the Gifted. Westchester, New York.**

It was about 6 in the evening when Logan, Rogue and Remy arrived at the mansion. Well, stumbled, more like it.

"Ah don't feel so good," Rogue said for about the fifth time. She had broken into a sweat several hours before. Remy gestured frantically to Logan.

"What do we do," Remy questioned, trying to keep calm. Logan glanced worriedly at the girl.

Suddenly, she dropped into a dead faint. Remy nimbly caught her, then gasped.

"Mon Dieu, her eyes." They were rapidly changing back to green from red and black.

* * *

A/N: There you have it, the finale of A New Road. Just kidding! I actually don't have much more to say...r&r? Wow.. 


	19. The end

Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own anything related to X-men? I don't own anything related to X-men. Or anything else, for that matter. Aww man...

* * *

"What happened to her?!?" exclaimed resident telepath/telekinetic Jean Grey as Logan and Remy half dragged, half carried Rogue's unconscious body into the mansion, then did a double-take as she comprehended that the presumed-dead Remy Lebeau had just strolled through the door... _alive_. 

Logan ignored the redhead and gently dropped Rogue onto the sofa.

"Where's Chuck," he demanded.

Jean huffed at his brush off, then answered hurriedly, "He's in D.C. for the weekend."

She stilled as she noticed the sweat running down Rogue's face, then motioned in her direction.

"Logan, what happened?"

Ororo, alerted by the noise, appeared into the room. "Christ, what happened to her."

"I don't know!" Logan shouted.

Just then, Bobby peeked into the room. He sized up Remy with his wild hair and Logan in a state of panic next to Rogue's unconscious form.

"Why does this remind me of Pulp Fiction?" he whispered lamely.

"Shut up, Bobby," Ororo admonished.

"Hey, don't yell at me. Yell at Jules and Vincent over there."

"Shut up, Bobby," Jean scolded.

Logan growled in irritation. "Everybody shut up!"

He gingerly lifted up her eyelid and peered into her multicolored orbs. The green that had been missing for months was battling the dark red and black for dominance. And the green was winning.

Remy knelt down beside Rogue and grasped her hand.

Jean and Ororo debated whether or not they should call the Professor, Bobby stared at Remy as if he'd like to rip his hand off, and Logan tried to decide what to do. Silently, Kitty Pryde padded into the room and observed the scene in front of her.

"What's with the new kid?" she asked.

"He's hot. What else do you need to know?" replied Ali as she strolled in the room, followed closely by Warren.

"Who's hot?" he inquired. Ali fiddled with her tongue ring as she pondered the question. "You, for one... Chris Cornell... Dr. Frank N' Furter in Rocky Horror."

Kitty grimaced. "Gross."

"Yeah, _Sweet transvestite, _indeed." Ali sighed dreamily.

"Remind me not to hang out with her on Halloween," Bobby muttered to Warren, who was shaking his head at his girlfriend's apparent insanity.

"Ditto."

Just then, Logan swore mightily, as a loud thump echoed around the room.

Remy was sprawled out on the floor with a look of sheer panic on his face. His hand was clutching Rogue's which was glowing steadily by the second. Her eyes fluttered open. They were back to red and black.

"Her hand." Ororo exclaimed and pointed. It was laced with silvery green veins that popped out against her pale skin and matched the veins lining Remy's face and arms.

"I thought she lost her powers," said Bobby confusedly.

"Well, obviously they're back," retorted Kitty.

"Right now, we need to get out of here before she blows this place down." Logan clumsily propped up her hand to ensure that it wasn't touching anything and motioned for everyone to leave the room.

"That won't be necessary," said a calm, cultured voice from the doorway. Professor Charles Xavier rolled towards the scene and closed his eyes as if in thought. Rogue's arm fell limply to her side, as the glow of her hand slowly ebbed down to normal.

"I just shut down her subconscious temporarily. She's a mess in there." He turned to Logan.

"Care to explain what happened?"

* * *

**Three hours later**

"Well. That was...interesting."

"Chere, you have no idea."

Remy and Rogue laid in their respective beds in the Med wing. Rogue turned to Remy and reached with her gloved arm for his.

"Ah guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?" He nodded in response. The room turned silent as each struggled with questions they wanted answered, but neither knew how to ask. Remy gathered the courage to speak first.

"So, you thought I was dead?"

"Yep."

"And you had my powers."

"Yep."

"So you can touch?"

"..."

"Ah don't think so anymore."

"But you could before."

"For about three months, yeah." Rogue replied sullenly.

Remy squeezed her hand gently.

"It doesn't matter. Don't you see, Chere? We lucked out. Look at all we've been through, and we're still alive. Maybe dis means something. Maybe it's a sign." He gestured wildly. "About a year ago I was working for Fenris, miserable. You...you had your heart stomped on. I was hired to recruit you, but ended up helping you escape those psychos. We fell in love, pulled a few heists. I died...theoretically. Now, here we are, reunited...after a few obstacles, of course." He sighed. "It's like a movie."

"Or one of John's novels," said Rogue, smiling.

"It's funny," she began. "If you asked me five years ago, Ah never would've thought that Ah would end up here with you. And despite everything, this feels right."

And smiling softly, Rogue and Remy interlocked hands, more than prepared to face their future. Together.

* * *

A/N: After a long deliberation, I have decided to end the story on a high note. I was running myself into circles when suddenly the ending came to me. There may POSSIBLY be an epilogue/sequel, but for now, I want to focus on becoming more organized and improve my writing. To all those who read it, thank you, and to all those who reviewed, a HUGE thank you. It's true what they say: reviews are the cure for writer's block.

To Professor Horatio Hufnagel: Thank you soooooooo much for your constant support and ideas. Honestly, I think I can call you my Muse. It seemed that my creativity increased ten fold after your e-mails, and I always looked forward to your reviews. And since you always got after me, it's my turn PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	20. Bad news

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!

Okay, I know I said that the story was finished, that I was going to take a break, become more organized, etc. I lied. Well, not really. It's just that since I ended it, I have been stuck with feelings of remorse, and I haven't started organizing. yet. So, rather than sitting around doing nothing, I'll just continue the story.

* * *

**Xavier Institute, Three Months Later**

"Shhh she's coming."

"Owww, Bobby get away from me."

"Turn off the lights."

Charles Xavier smiled fondly at the lengths his students would go through for one of their own. He was surprised that word traveled around so quickly; he had not even known today's significance. It was Rogue's birthday. He suspected that Remy had spread the word.

He gazed contentedly around the living room at his students awkwardly trying to hide, and announced, "Relax, she doesn't have a clue what's going on."

Logan gave him a skeptical look.

"I'm a telepath, remember. She doesn't have a clue."

"Hide!" Jean whispered as the jingling of the keys and Rogue's melodic laughter filtered through the doorway.

"...Sugah, you really didn't have to take me out to dinner like that. I would've been fine with a simple get-together at home." "Well, maybe den you can have your cake and eat it, too."

"**SURPRISE!!!**"

Rogue reeled back, overwhelmed with the barrage of smiling faces. She grinned widely at Remy. "You planned this, didn't cha, Sugah." Remy clapsed her hand. "Only de best for you, Chere."

Later, as Rogue was passing out cake and sharing stories, Kitty sighed. There was a time when she couldn't _stand _Rogue. She was pretty, funny, and she had received Bobby's interest, which was something Kitty had sought after for a long while. So when she had a chance to really stick it to Rogue, she jumped at the opportunity, and coincidently, Bobby's face.

For weeks after Rogue had run off with Remy, all Kitty could think about was the look on Rogue's face when she had caught her kissing Bobby at the carnival. And despite Jean's reassurances, Kitty had the gnawing feeling that she had left because of her and Bobby. Bobby, of course, was no help. He had been so angry and depressed that he would do nothing but snap at Kitty and blame her for Rogue's death. So, finally, convinced that it would never work out between her and Bobby, Kitty moved on. She fell in love with arguably New York's most famous superhero. And it doesn't hurt that he _does_ look the best in spandex. But of course, she was probably biased.

Her gaze drifted back onto Rogue. Since she and Remy had come back, she and Kitty had spoke briefly about "the incident." Kitty apologized sincerely, and Rogue had accepted, and actually _thanked _Kitty for making her run off.

"Who knows," she said, "maybe Ah wouldn't have been fell in love with Remy if Ah was still with Bobby." Kitty didn't know what to say to that. But they both had aL

reed that a friendship, no matter how small, was not worth breaking up over a boy, so Rogue and Kitty agreed to try to salvage what was left of their friendship. And now, a few months later, she could honestly consider Rogue one of her closest friends.

Just then, Kitty was interruoted from her thoughts by her aforementioned friend.

"Hey, Sug, join the party."

Rogue motioned her over with the promise of a slice of cake balanced precariously in her lilac clad hands. Rogue's original powers had returned the same day she and Remy returned to the mansion. Professor Xavier hypothesized that her illness that day was her body ridding herself of her borrowed powers and reinstating its' original ones. Rogue took it surprisingly well. You know what they say...It's better to have loved and lost...

* * *

**Later that evening**

Rogue yawned loudly as she slipped off her heels and changed into something more comfortable. _Where's Remy_, she thought. She brushed her hair and looked on the nightstand beside her bed. On it Remy's cell was charging. _He's probably just looking for his phone. _Just then, it began to vibrate. Rogue peered to look at the caller id. Jean-Luc. She debated whether or not she should pick it up. It's not like she had ever met the man, but she thought of him as a father to her. She shook her head. Sometimes it was hard to separate her memories from Remy's.

Just then Remy walked in the room. "Chere, 'ave to seen Remy's phone?" Looking around he spotted it on her nightstand. "Oh, I forgot I charged it in here, t'anks, Chere."

Rogue motioned to the phone. "Jean-Luc called."

"Oui?" He paused as he checked the phone.

"It says 6 missed calls. Must be something important." He pressed a few buttons and began to dial him back. Rogue snuggled into her bed and turned on the television.

"'Allo, Pere. Desole, I've been busy. What's going on?"

Rogue casually flipped through the stations before settling on an old Steve Martin movie. She glanced over to Remy who had began pacing worriedly before leaving the room.

A few minutes later, he returned looking pale-faced.

"What's wrong," asked Rogue concernedly.

"I've got to go back home for a few days, that's all." He replied hurriedly.

"Can Ah come," she began to ask.

"NO!"

"Desole, Chere. I didn' mean to snap, but it's some bad business." He jumped on the bed and looked her in the eye.

"Rogue, you know I love you, right?" She nodded.

"Den promise me something. Be careful while I'm gone. Stay home with Logan. Don't go out. It'll only be a few days."

"Sugah, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Remy paused, contemplating whether or not he should tell her.

"When you had my memories, did dey show you what Remy's famille does for a living?"

"Ah know all about the guilds, if that's what you're asking."

Remy nodded.

"Well, it seems de Assassins found out who killed Bella, and they're not to happy. They're after you, Rogue. And they want blood. I'm going to New Orleans to talk to Marius myself, but be careful. Stay away from windows."

He kissed her passionately. "Je taime."

With that, he walked out the door on his way to New Orleans.

* * *

a/n: I'm back, baby!


	21. Call in the cavalry

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!

* * *

"...So he just up and left," exclaimed a disbelieving Kitty Pride over breakfast the next morning. She stared, now wide-awake, at Rogue, who was nonchalantly blowing on the steam rising out of her coffee mug. 

"Yep. Ah woulda told you last night, but it was pretty late and Ah didn't wanna wake you."

Kitty shook her head. "I can't believe that people are actually out to get you. I mean, it's not like you actually stabbed this Belladonna chick yourself."

Rogue countered, "Yeah, but Ah charged that rock too much. Ah knew it was going to do some damage, but..." She trailed off.

"But you didn't know that it would kill her."

Her voice took on a panicky edge."Ah thought that at the very least, she would be knocked out, and we could escape. How was Ah supposed to know that the force of the impact would send her own sword..." She shuddered.

"Do you know what's the worst thing, Kitty. Despite her being an ex, albeit a homocidal one, Remy loved her."

Kitty gasped.

"Ah mean, not while he was with me, but Ah've been in his head. Ah know that he still had feelings for her. I mean she was his first love."

Kitty placed her hand over Rogue's. "Don't worry. If Remy was upset with you, he would have told you. I mean, did he say anything else?"

"He said, 'Get AWAY from the windows,'" came in a gruff, new voice. The girls whipped their heads to the doorway, where a concerned Logan was standing.

"I know you were having an important chat, but I believe Gumbo told you to stay away from the windows. Makes you an easy target, kid. I thought you knew that." Rogue nodded.

"Sorry, Logan. Ah forgot. Wait, how did _you _know what Remy said?" Logan tapped his sensitive ears.

"Oh."

She and Kitty scooped up their stuff, ready to take this conversation to a safer destination.

"Ah'll try to be a little more careful, Logan."

* * *

**LeBeau Mansion, New Orleans**

"Okay, Pere, I'll be more careful."

Jean-Luc LeBeau considered his son with a quirked eyebrow.

"Where have I heard dat before?" Jean-Luc shifted more comfortably into his seat, waiting for the answer.

"What about de time when Remy robbed that carnie and de bearded lady put out a hit on him," piped up a voice from the leather couch in the middle of the living room.

"Shut up, Lapin." Remy muttered.

Jean-Luc cocked his head. "I never heard about dis. Remy, I'm surprised!"

Remy lowered his head, "I didn't know dat de carnie and de bearded lady were an item, ok?"

"Dat's b'sides de point, son. I was under de impression dat people who work at carnivals don't make a lot of money."

Suddenly, Henri LeBeau appeared at the doorway.

"Pere, I t'ink you better come here," he said and exited the room. The three remaining men looked at each other and followed Henri out of the room into the affectionately christened "the technological heaven."

"Look at de screen."

There was a live video of the Assassins headquarters. Belladonna's right hand man-er woman, Sophie had assembled a small army of Assassins and was now passing out a bunch of papers. She was irate, slamming them on the table and shouting at her minions. Remy perked up curiously.

"Henri, can you zoom in on dose papers?"

Henri complied. They papers were actually glossy photographs. Remy craned his neck to figure out the subject of the photos. Henri zoomed in a little closer, and Remy was filled with dread.

On them was a picture of Rogue. Somehow, Remy was grimly unfazed.

Lapin and Jean-Luc looked at Remy apprehensively. "Now, son..." Jean-Luc began, but Remy heard none of it.

He stormed out of the room and angrily flipped open his cell phone. If the Assassins wanted a war, they were certainly going to get one.

* * *

**Xavier Mansion, the following day.**

Rogue sat meditating in a corner of the gym. With Remy gone, she felt especially vulnerable. _God, when did Ah become such a wimp, _she thought disgustedly. It seemed like the rough and tumble badass chick who punched out rivals had gone on vacation. "Well this has to stop," she decided while simultaniously cracking her neck.

She got up and strutted over to Piotr who was busy bench pressing the weight of a small truck.

"Hey Pete," Rogue questioned. Piotr grunted, then slowly brought back up the weight. She knew that he was frustrated because despite the weight, he wasn't breaking a sweat.

She cocked an eye to the boxing gloves on the shelf.

"Wanna try for a real workout?" He smiled. This was more his style.

Two minutes later, when Rogue body-slammed Piotr using his own powers against him, she gritted her teeth and narrowed his eyes. Oh yeah, Miss Vulnerablity was gone.

Unbeknownst to the scuffling mutants, Logan smiled approvingly from the doorway on the way back from getting a beer.

"It's about damn time."

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh! The Assassins have something up their sleeves. I guess they didn't take the death of their princess very well. And what is Remy planning? And Rogue gets her attitude back. Makes a hell of an interesting set-up for the next chapter, huh. If you think so, let me know. If you have any ideas as to what should happen next, lemme know, too. I'd love to make this more of an interactive story. And to prove that I actually use suggestions, know that Prof. Horatio Hufnagel was the brilliant creator of some of the past plot lines. (Thanks again, Prof!) 


	22. Close Call

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

A/N: This chapter is a little dark. Not one for the kiddies. Just warning you.

* * *

**Xavier Mansion, Later that day**

Rogue felt good.

And not just high-off-of-endorphins-because-she-just-kicked-the-strongest-guy-on-the-team's-ass good, but _really_ good.

It had been about six hours since she had left Piotr in the hallway. He had been somewhat embarrassed about being beaten up so badly by a girl, but was proud of her nonetheless.

Rogue began to whistle as she headed to the kitchen for a light snack. She felt like she could have taken on anything.

But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

She stopped dead in her tracks as the scent of blood drifted to her nostrils. Looking down, fearing the worst, she noticed a small puddle.

The strange thing about it was that the puddle wasn't water from a leak or spilled orange juice. It was a warm, red, sticky substance growing bigger by the second.

She forcibly shook herself out of her trance and hurried to the other side of the kitchen island.

"Logan," she gasped.

In the middle of his temple was a bullet sized hole. She looked up, scanning the window.

There was a precise, pea-sized hole where the bullet must have pierced the glass.

Breathing as silently as she could, she backed up slowly. Whoever had done this was obviously nearby, not to mention dangerous.

She edged her way to the counter, reached under the counter, and pressed a tiny, red button, effectively activating the silent alarm Hank had insisted be put in before he died.

Having noticed that the bullet would in Logan's skull was beginning to heal, she slowly slipped out of her blood covered sneakers, grabbed a kitchen knife for protection, and exited the room.

Rogue quickened her pace once she arrived in the hallway where everyone's rooms were. Unfortunately, the majority of the population was out. Kitty was on a date with Peter Parker, Scott and Jean went to the store, and judging from the fact that nobody answered her frantic calls, everyone else had left the building.

She, however, was relieved. That meant that no one else would be hurt. Well, besides the bastards who broke into her home.

Her thinking was interrupted when she noticed a shadow peeking out from around the corner. She automatically shifted into a fighting stance, while adjusting the knife to the easiest position to throw.

Rogue waited, half dizzy with anticipation and adrenaline, trying to will her heart to beat more quietly.

She knew what she was up against. She had treasured every memory that she recieved from Remy and now was thanking her lucky stars that she knew more or less what to expect from the Assassins. That in mind, she tiptoed around the corner and slipped her knife close to the Assassin's throat.

"Who are you?"

The assassin merely laughed and reached up behind her. He pulled her hair with one hand and jutted his opposite elbow into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

She doubled over, clutching her gut, when she noticed a second man aiming a gun towards her. As soon as she heard the click of the safetly being taken off, Rogue dropped to the ground.

"Aaarghhh," screamed the first Assassin.

The bullet that was meant for Rogue was now lodged in the first man's abdomen.

Rogue took advantage of the second man's distraction and kicked the gun out of his hand. It flew to their right and skidded to a halt next to the stairs. She promptly dodged the man's flying fist, and kicked him in the groin. He dropped to the ground, wincing in pain.

Pleased with herself, Rogue slipped off her glove and tapped the guy on his forehead, knocking him unconscious. She stared pitifully at the two men in front of her.

"Man number one has no kevlar on, and Numbnuts didn't wear a cup. It must be their first day." Satisfied that these two weren't going anyplace, Rogue hurried out of the room.

But where to go? From Numbnuts' memories there were at least 15 Assassins in the mansion. Twelve that were still able to fight.

Her mind raced as she ran.

She needed to isolate them, and it would be easier to find them, rather than wait for them to find her. And she needed to try to take them out as a group.

But where could she find enough space to do that?

She stopped running and looked up. God must have been looking out for her.

She was standing in front of the Danger Room.

* * *

Logan awoke in a pool of his own blood. He lingered a minute, waiting to get enough sense to decipher all of the different smells in the room.

There was his own blood. That was the most prominent smell.

There was gunpowder. He didn't have to put two and two together for that one.

There was the smell of fear. Rogue's fear. And it was strong.

Logan sprang to his feet. The last smell, or smells, was varied. There were about fifteen unfamiliar smells. And that could only mean one thing: intruders. He got up and ran in search of Rogue. She was his priority. Gambit placed her in his care. And he would be damned if he couldn't take better care of Rogue than Gambit could.

Logan stopped in his tracks as he heard the familiar crackle of the intercom turn on. He heard Rogue's clear her throat. The sound echoed throughout the mansion.

**"Ah know you're here."**

Logan looked around. There were only two places where there were intercoms. One was the hanger. _But why would she be in the hanger?_

**"Obviously, you need to find me."**

Logan ran in the direction of the voice. His enhanced hearing caught the footsteps of the intruders running to the same spot from the other side of the mansion.

Rogue watched from above in the observation room. Slowly, all twelve Assassins filed into the darkness. She had purposely left the Danger Room dark so that they wouldn't know what to expect. She locked all the exits, save the one she was next to.

She turned on the intercom again.

**"Thank y'all for being so cooperative. Ah'll be with you shortly." **

So they wanted a fight, huh?

"Start simulation 6372," she said to the computer.

Below her, the lights came on, showcasing a normal room. A hologram of an angry Rogue was waiting on the other side.

As one, the Asssassins rushed to annihilate their target. But the real Rogue was slipping out of the door in the observation room. She had bigger fish to fry.

"Logan," she shouted when she saw him. He turned worriedly in her direction.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, the Assassins are in the danger room. They think they're fighting me," she explained. "Is anyone else home?"

Logan thought back. "Nope, everyone went out. It's just me and you, kid."

"Good," she said. "There are two down Assassins. I'll take care of them. You go call in some help."

Logan nodded tersely and ran off.

Rogue ran back to the hallway.

The guy who was shot was alive, but unable to fight. Numbnuts, however, was missing.

"Where's your friend," she shouted.

"I don't know," he lied.

She backhanded him in the face.

"Where's your friend?"

Suddenly she felt the prick of a knife digging in her back.

"I'm right here, _chienne, _an' you're gonna pay for dat."

"Oh," she said weakly. "There he is."

"Get on de floor!" Rogue complied. He straddled her, playing with the knife like it was harmless. He put it to her throat.

"So dis is de whore who killed Belladonna?" The knife dug in a little deeper. A faint red line appeared on her neck.

As long as Rogue lived, she would never forget the look of loathing on his face.

"Well, I'm going to kill you."

"Rogue, close your eyes," shouted a strong voice from across the room. She slammed them shut, and heard a single gunshot. The Assassin slid harmlessly to the floor.

Rogue kept her eyes closed. She knew the man was dead. And she knew who was in front of her.

"Thanks, Momma."

Mystique looked unflinchingly at her daughter and pulled her up from the floor. "Remy called me. He said that there might be trouble. I see I came just in time."

Rogue kicked the Assassins in their sides before following Mystique out of the room.

"We need to do more training."

* * *

A/N: Whew! I scared myself while writing this chapter. Looks like the cavalry came just in time. But is that all who Remy called? I seriously doubt it. Please review. It makes me want to write more. hint hint


	23. relocation

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

* * *

"Momma?" 

Mystique paused.

"Where are we going?"

Rogue and Mystique were walking briskly through the mansion, when Rogue posed this question. Mystique looked at her daughter disbelievingly.

"Are you serious, Rogue? Where do you think we're going?" Mystique paused, as if to judge whether or not Rogue was going to answer, and then continued steadfastedly, "Away from here. I think I can protect you a lot better than the incompetent fools who live here."

"Hey!" Rogue exclaimed defensively. "Ah can take care of myself."

"So says the girl who almost just got raped."

Rogue fell silent.

"You just came at a bad time. Ah took care of all the other Assassins by myself, you know."

Mystique retorted condescendingly, "Of course you did, Sweetie. Now let's go before anyone spots us."

They made it to the front door of the mansion and Mystique put her gun in her holster. She looked back to the mansion and muttered under her breath.

"Good Riddance."

Rogue looked back protestingly to see if she spotted Logan when the front door swung open to reveal Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Oh shit," Mystique said quietly.

"Ladies," he simply stated as he walked through the door and into the hallway, surveying the destruction.

"I see I came too late."

Rogue glanced questioningly at Fury.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that I was tipped off about the Assassins' 'visit'."

Rogue snapped, "What do you mean,'tipped off?' You _knew _that the Assassins were coming? And you didn't warn us? We could have been killed!"

"Who sent you," chimed in Logan, who had just arrived at the scene.

"Let's just say I have my sources."

"Well, this was a nice chat, but I have to get Rogue away from here," said Mystique dragging Rogue by the arm. Logan growled and made to block her way, but was stopped by Fury.

"Actually, you aren't going anywhere. Rogue was placed in Charles Xavier's care after her involvement in the Brotherhood. And you, Ms. Darkholme are under arrest."

"What," shouted Rogue and Mystique simultaneously.

"Rogue, you are coming with me. S.H.I.E.L.D. can protect you better for now. And Raven," he paused, taking out his handcuffs, "do you honestly think that I would pass up a chance to arrest the world's second largest mutant terrorist."

"You don't have a warrant," she demanded.

"Too bad," he replied, before swiftly handcuffing her.

Mystique simply laughed in his face.

"Do you think that you can keep me handcuffed, like a common prisoner," she asked before she began to change her appearance. When it was time for her wrist to changes, however, she was shocked to find that she couldn't. She reverted back to her natural body.

"What the hell kind of handcuffs are these?"

"Ones that can keep such a high profile prisoner such as yourself under control. Now come with me." He pushed Mystique roughly ahead of her, then turned to Rogue.

"Now, can I trust you to come with me or do I have to handcuff you as well?"

Rogue looked at Logan for advice.

"I think you should go with him, Rogue. You'll be a lot safer."

"Okay then, it's settled. I'll send out some other agents to pick up the Assassins and we'll be on our way." He flipped open his cell phone and moved further down the hallway.

While Fury was preoccupied, Rogue ran over to hug Logan. She looked up at him strongly.

"I'll be back soon."

He nodded sternly and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Take care of yourself, ok."

"I will."

Then Fury returned and motioned her to follow as he led Mystique out the door. Wondering how she got herself in this predicament, Rogue tagged along behind them.

* * *

A/N: Is this some kind of a record? Two updates in two days. wow. If you like the course of the story, please review. It makes my day. 


	24. relocation p2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, especially **Prof. H.H.** and **4rogue**, for the encouragement and confidence boosts. Sorry for the delay. School just started, so I'll have more time to update.

* * *

It was a long road to the "fortress of solitude" known as S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, and Rogue was making damn sure that Nick Fury regretted every minute he had to be stuck with her. 

Since she was such a high-profile threat, Mystique was behind them in a vehicle that provided higher security measures... for the guards' benefits as well as her own.

Rogue sighed irritably and crossed her arms over her chest.

"How much longer is the ride?"

"I can't tell you that," Fury responded evenly.

"Why?"

"Because you might be able to figure out S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters' location. And the last thing we need is a terrorist knowing our whereabouts," he said, almost mechanically.

"Hey! That's not fair. Ah haven't been in the Brotherhood for about a year," Rogue pointed out.

"Well, we don't want to take any chances. You have," he paused, searching for the right word, "a history of going back to your former connections. You were with Mystique, now she's back in your life. You left Xavier's and now you've been welcomed back with open arms. And now look what you've got yourself involved in. The Guilds of New Orleans."

"Ah don't need a lecture," she muttered stubbornly.

"Tough. Obviously, no one else has spoken to you before about making your own decisions."

"Yeah, like Ah made the decision to be blindfolded." It was true. Rogue had handcuffs on her wrists and a mask over her eyes.

"And besides," she added a few seconds later, "it's not like Ah'm a child. Legally Ah'm an adult. _And _Ah've stayed out of trouble. Isn't this for mah own protection?"

"Enough!" Fury snapped. He was getting tired of her whining. They were almost at the base and he couldn't wait for her to get out of his hair.Or lack thereof.

She stayed silent for the next few minutes, until the car slowed down and Fury helped escort her out of the vehicle.

After carefully removing Rogue's blindfold. Fury took out a needle.

"Now we're going to have to sedate you. I simply can't have you conscious until you're in your room."

Rogue snapped her head to look for Mystique's van. She had hoped that they would be together. Fury, seeing this distraction, stuck the needle in her arm. Without much of a fuss, Rogue slowly slid into his arms.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in New Orleans. **

"Remy, _cher_, stop pacing," soothed his sister-in-law Mercy. They were in the living room, waiting for Jean-Luc and Tante Mattie to come back from a meeting with Marius.

It has been decided that serious damage control was needed. And Jean-Luc was the only one who had a shot of calming down the irate Assassin enough to hear them out. Today was just the preliminary.

"He'll be fine," Mercy continued.

Unable to take anymore, Remy marched out of the room. He stopped in the kitchen and reached for the phone.

"Hello, Xavier Mansion."

"Kitty!" he shouted, at the same time relieved and more worried. "Petite, it's me, Remy."

"Remy," she said, a little too brightly. "We were just talking about you."

Beside her, in the kitchen of the mansion. Ororo's ears perked up. She raced for a pen and paper.

_"Don't tell him that Rogue isn't here,"_ she scribbled.

"Yeah, Rogue's fine." She paused.

"Umm, where is she?"

Remy was becoming more impatient.

"She's in the danger room with Logan. Meditating. She said she didn't want to be disturbed, though," she lied.

Instantly, Remy felt relieved.

"_D'accord_. Okay, Kitty. Thanks. Bye."

He hung up the phone, and let out a sigh_. She's safe. _

Just then, Mercy called to Remy.

"Jean-Luc is back!"

_Now, for some answers. _

* * *

Welcome back, loyal readers. Sorry for the delay. Now that school started, I'll try to have more consistant updates. Please review, I need some inspiration. 


	25. New surroundings

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, especially **Prof. H.H.** and **4rogue**, for the encouragement and confidence boosts. Sorry for the delay. School just started, so I'll have more time to update.

* * *

Remy sped over to Jean-Luc, who was wearily removing his tie. 

"How'd it go, _Pere_?" he asked anxiously.

Jean-Luc glanced at him distractedly. He busied himself with hanging up his jacket, then turned to his daughter-in-law.

"Mercy," he said, "Henri will be back in 'bout an hour. He wanted me to let you know."

"_Merci_, Jean-Luc," she replied, peeking at Remy, who was obviously wondering about the blatant brush-off.

The elder Lebeau strode into his office, closed the blinds, and lit a fire. He settled in at his desk, but without the usual relaxation that he felt; rather, he felt the weight of all 56 years of age. Taking a deep, cathartic sigh, he cradled his face in his hands, then motioned defeatedly to his anxious son.

"Take a seat, Remy."

Instantly Remy felt a deep feeling of foreboding.

"It's bad, _non_."

It wasn't a question.

Jean-Luc didn't answer.

"I've got to disband the Guild," he finally said after a few minutes. He stared up at Remy with grim determination in his face, but Remy just stared.

Jean-Luc continued, "Marius ain' to happy...but you know dat. An' dey want revenge, _mon fils_."

Remy stared uncomprehendingly, then sputtered. "But, you _can't_! Dis guild has-"

"_Oui..._'been in our family for generations'. I know, Remy. But that's my only option." Jean-Luc said firmly but gently, as he glanced at the rest of the family, who had gathered around the door of his office.

As much as it hurt him, he refused to think of the other choice which Marius had offered: Remy's life.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Hammurabi's Code.

It was so primitive...but then again, some might argue that a generations-old guild of theives was primitive as well.

And there was no way that he would willingly give up his own son.

"You can' do dis!" exclaimed Remy, who had finally found his voice.

He implored, "_Pere_, I know dat dis guild means more than anything to you."

"To all of us," chimed in Mercy.

"And you can't let dis happen because of me. I'd sooner," he swallowed. "I'd sooner leave dis house forever, than make all of you lose your home. Your life."

Jean-Luc shook his head grimly. "If you do dis, Remy...I might not ever see you again."

"_Non_, you can visit me," he said weakly.

"Where will you go?"

"With de X-men." Remy thought back. Well, technically, they had never offered him a home to stay in, but he had bonded with a few members. Plus he would be with Rogue. And it wasn't like the Professor to leave a helpless mutant out on the street.

It was a gamble that he would take.

"I'm leaving tonight," he announced. It was settled.

Remy stared at his family with an increasingly sinking feeling that he would never see them again. He was determined to make their last day special. But first, he had to pack.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Rogue sighed. She was bored. Very very bored. She had been at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for about eight hours now, and the only thing that happened was she was on the receiving end of test after test.

She turned to the beefy nurse with the syringe in her hand, and offered out her right arm.

It was going to be a looong day.

She cleared her throat, and asked, "Excuse me ma'am. But Ah'm a bit tired. When will we be done?"

The nurse regarded her with a cool stare.

"As soon as you stop complaining and your results are in."

"But what are you testing me for? I ain't got cooties," Rogue muttered.

"We can't have you bringing in any biochemical viruses or diseases that can jeopardize the staff."

"..."

"Didn't think of that, huh?"

The nurse set aside the syringe and removed her latex gloves.

"Remember, we're not here to incarcerate you. We're not the bad guys, here."

And with that, another security guard indicated to Rogue that it was time to go. To where..she could only guess.

It would be days later before she wondered how the nurse knew why she was here.

* * *

A/N: Ok guys! How are you all doing? Thanks for the comments so far, and those who favorited me in the past few days. I really appreciate it. So I guess Remy's going back. Since this is an interactive story, please send in ideas, plot lines, etc. Thanks. -iloveromys 


	26. back home revised

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

* * *

Remy struggled to keep his composure on the flight home to New York. This was difficult, since he had this overwhelming feeling of despair that trailed behind him like a bittersweet fragrance. 

He shifted slightly and struggled to become comfortable in his seat, but his thoughts prevented him from doing so. It felt weird to him to be banished from New Orleans again. In such a short amount of time, at that. And for some reason, it all boiled down to Bella.

_May she rest in peace_, he thought. _Even though she tried to kill me. __Multiple times. _

Despite the fleeting familiarity of the situation, this time was different. This time he was banished forever.

**Forever**.

The word had an unpleasant permanance to it.

At least the first time, he knew that it was only temporary, but now, especially since it was his choice, he knew that he would be gone for good.

And while it was hard, he knew that this was the right thing to do. Besides, it would be very selfish of him to expect them to dismantle the guild because of an accident. Even though it was: A) not his fault or B) not unprovoked.

But, hey. Easy come, easy go. Right?

One thing was for sure.

He couldn't wait to get back to the one place that he had left to call home.

That is...if they were willing to take him.

* * *

"AH WANNA GO HOME!" 

This outburst was brought to you by the ever so pissed Mississipian with two-toned hair. She pounded against the door of the cell she had been assigned.

"HELLO?"

Nothing.

She flopped back on the bed with a loud, disgruntled sigh. A few minutes later, she heard a gentle knock on the door, followed by the unmistakable, joyous sounds of it being unlocked.

Rogue sat up in the bed, eagerly facing the door, when a slim, blonde woman walked in, carrying a tray of food.

"Hello," she greeted.

Rogue just stared at her.

"I take it you're not enjoying your stay," she noted while gently placing the tray on the bed.

Rogue snorted and replied, "Nope, Ah usually don't like being treated like a prisoner for doing nothing wrong."

"I know, that sucks, right?"

Rogue looked at the girl questioningly. Was she serious?

The girl must have read her mind, because she added, "I know what you think, but it's not as bad as it seems. Trust me, I have it on good sources that you'll be given more privileges by tomorrow. You're just in this cell because it's your first couple of days."

"Really! Great, 'cuz Ah thought that Ah was gonna go crazy in here."

"Hey, look. This isn't Club Med or anything, but it's not a jail, either," she paused, "I mean, unless you've done something wrong."

The girl gently pushed the plate of food towards her.

"Aren't you going to eat? I made it myself."

Rogue looked at the food warily.

"Okay, not really. But I can assure you it's not as bad as it looks."

Gingerly, she took a bite, and was plesantly surprised to see that it wasn't half bad.

"Thank you," Rogue said warmly.

"No problem," the girl said as she rose to leave.

"Hey," Rogue called out.

"What's your name?" she asked

The girl paused at the door.

"I don't think I'll see you again," she said softly. "I'm an Upper Level in S.H.I.E.L.D. They just wanted me to bring in the food since I was passing by."

"Okay, but just in case?" Rogue asked.

"They call me Miss Marvel."

Rogue chuckled.

"You sound like a cheerleader."

Miss Marvel replied, "Not anymore. Now I devote my time to saving the world."

"Nice," Rogue smiled at the reference.

"Anyway, I better get going. Sleep tight."

"Thanks, 'Miss Marvel,'" Rogue gently teased.

Shaking her head, the blonde opened the the door to leave.

"Call me Carol," she said, and quickly left.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Remy's taxi pulled up to the mansion, as he stared at his new, hopefully permanant home.

He smirked as he saw Kitty stare out of an upstairs window. He gave her a small wave.

She turned to someone next to her, and motioned to the window, then left, most likely to get the door. Slowly, he paid the cabbie and retrieved his suitcase from the trunk.

As he made his way to the door, the garage opened and Logan stepped out, covered in oil stains.

"Workin' on de bike, _mon ami_?"

"Yep. How'd it go," asked Logan, clearly not in the mood for small talk. He, of course, had remembered their earlier talk about his visit and his promise to take care of Rogue. And just because she was safe, didn't mean that Logan wasn't curious as to what had happened on Remy's end.

Remy shifted nervously.

"Actually, I was hoping to speak to de Prof-"

"REMY!"--

Suddenly, he was cut off by Kitty, who had dragged along Piotr beside her.

"About time, you got here. Come inside, we're all waiting for you."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and promised Logan that they would talk later. He stared at Kitty's crushing grip and was amazed at Kitty's strength as she dragged him in the house.

She started chattering on about the last few days' events, but he tuned her out, keeping an eye out for the Professor or Rogue.

He made eye contact with Piotr, who was trying to keep up with what Kitty was saying. He had to end this.

"_P'tite_, you ain't seen Rogue, have you? _Desole_," he added for the interruption. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Professor, who was coming down the hall.

"Don't you know?"

He motioned Remy to his office. "There was an attack," he began, once they were comfortably inside.

Remy paled.

"But she's all right," he continued, "We all are, in fact."

"But a few people from S.H.I.E.L.D. came. Apparently, they thought that she would be safer in their hands. And quite honestly, so did I."

"What?!"

Remy jumped to his feet.

"Dat wasn't part of de deal!"

"Deal, Mr. LeBeau?"

"I called dem up b'fore I left, an' told dem what was going on. Dey were supposed to help out and monitor de Institute in case of an attack. Not take her away."

Remy pounded his fist against the desk in frustration. This was the last time he would call in a favor to that jerk, Fury.

"Don't worry. She's fine. I trust Nick Fury."

"I guess," he muttered childishly.

"But, correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. LeBeau, you came here for another reason?"

"_Oui_, Monsieur Xavier."

"Please, call me Charles. Or Professor. Or any number of nicknames my students have bestowed upon me."

"Okay. Den call me Remy. Or Gambit. An' you were right. Dere is a reason dat I came."

Remy settled himself in his seat and prepared to tell his entire life story.

"Dey called me _Le Diable Blanc_..."

* * *

Outside, Kitty was contemplating eavesdropping. 

"Katya, you cannot do this!"

"Shh, Pete. You heard him shout out before, right? I want to know what's taking them so long."

"Can you not wait for Remy to come out? I am sure that he would tell you."

"I guess you're right," she conceded, and they turned to leave.

Just then, Remy and Xavier exited his office.

"...Of course, you can stay, Remy. And please, don't worry about Rogue. She'll be out soon enough, now that this issue is resolved."

"_Merci_."

Xavier returned to the room, while Remy came face to face with the mansion's newest couple, who had, unfortunately for Remy, heard the last part.

_Merde_, he thought. _Remy's not gonna hear de end of it. _

"Don't squeal, Kitty."

"Too late," she replied cheerily before doing a happy dance and giving him a hug.

"Rogue's gonna be so excited!"

_Yep. As soon as I get her back, _he thought, with a smile.

With that, he bade them good night and took out his cell phone to make a very important phone call.

* * *

A/N: Hola, guys! Enjoy! Thanks to all the reviewers so far, and lemme know if you like. Oh, and thanks to Ultimate Gammy 91 for pointing out the various mistakes/ bad sentence structure. So, I revised the last chapter. I hope it makes it easier. 'Kay, bye. 


	27. you can What!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. ANYTHING!!!...except this pretty cool story ; )

* * *

Rogue glanced at her watch, ever thankful for her usual one item of jewelry. It was her sole object that connected her with the outside world. While she was stuck in the cell, at least. 

The digital blue background read 6:45 AM.

"Great", she muttered sullenly, while she stared at the ceiling. She sighed as she began to count the tiles.

"One."

"Two."

This was insane. Hopefully, soon, they would let her out.

"Oh well, Ah might as well get moving."

As she got out of bed and stretched out her sore muscles, she contemplated the night before. It was nice to meet a friendly person, especially one who gave her food, but she couldn't help wondering if Carol had known anything about her.

She remembered the look in her eyes when she had asked for the blonde's name.

Carol had seemed...stunned, as if that was the first time anyone had bothered to get to know her. And her response was strange, too.

She had frozen in place and seemed to contemplate whether or not to give up her name.

But it wasn't as if she was asking for complex personal information!

Rogue sat back down on the bed.

Why would she be so protective like that?

"Maybe she really _is_ a superhero."

She giggled, then sobered up. But, honestly, that didn't seem too far-fetched to her, either.

Weren't the X-men superheroes? And Spider-man? Looking back, she certainly didn't _consider_ herself a superhero. She was just...a girl who was part of a team that occasionally saved people.

She snorted at the ridiculousness.

All she knew was that she hoped they would come in contact again. From their few minutes together, she had received good vibes about Carol. In fact, she hoped she could learn a few things from her.

Rogue's thoughts were interrupted when she heard brisk footsteps approaching. Hurriedly, she stood up to greet whoever came in. To her delight, it was Miss Marvel, and she came bearing a tray with what looked suspiciously like breakfast in her hands. She deposited it on the bed, and sat down next to Rogue.

"Good morning. I see you're ready for the day."

Rogue smiled, and began eating fiercely. Excitement made her hungry.

"We have a busy day," began Carol. "First, we have to meet up with Fury and discuss your criminal record."

Rogue shot her a worried look at this.

"Don't worry," Carol assured. "Professor Xavier took care of your prior offenses when you were released from the Weapon X program. Also, I heard about this 'Assassins Guild,' in New Orleans."

Rogue nodded.

"So we have to discuss protection. Bodyguards and the like."

"OK," Rogue said quietly. She smiled as she detected a faint Bostonian accent behind Carol's words, and vaguely wondered whether or not that recognition was due to Bobby's memories, but she focused once more when Carol began to speak again.

"And finally, we've decided to let you come into contact with your mother."

She brightened up at this. _About time_, she thought.

"So when do we start?"

Carol smiled and eyed Rogue's half empty plate.

"As soon as you're done with your food.

* * *

"I see they've given you some freedom," Mystique said sullenly when Rogue entered unaccompanied by guards. 

"A little," Rogue admitted. "But Ah have good news. Xavier cleaned up my record, and Fury's gonna give me a break."

"Well, that's good. At least you won't end up like me," Raven said forlornly as she looked at her power inhibiting handcuffs.

_She must be miserable_, Rogue thought sadly.

"At least you're safe here," the blue skinned woman remarked.

Eager to get her mind away from their circumstance, Rogue engaged Mystique in conversation. This seemed to bring up her spirits, and as time wore on Mystique became increasingly more animated. They chatted about anything and everything, when a thought popped into Raven's head.

"Did they mention anything about the Assassins," she asked bluntly, interrupting Rogue's fond memory of Irene's hush puppies.

Rogue, startled, glanced down and fiddled with her glove.

"Actually, they did," she began and took a deep breath, "But you're not gonna like it. You see..."

* * *

**Two hours earlier**

"Come in," called a curt voice from beyond the imposing looking metal doors.

Rogue glanced at Carol apprehensively for help. She made a "go-ahead" motion, and Rogue threw her head back and entered.

"Sit down," barked an intimidating older gentleman from behind an iron desk. "My name is Col. Kincaid. And we have a problem that needs to be attended to."

He stood up and pulled out a map that, Remy's memories told her, was of New Orleans. Close in proximity were two thumbtacks, one red and one blue. Around them were large, equal circles.

"Here are the headquarters and surrounding territories of the New Orleans Thieves and Assassins Guilds. These guilds are very dangerous." He paused. "The Assassins have a rather large territory, that, unfortunately, extends past New Orleans. This map just shows the amount of power that they have. It would be advisable that you stay away from that area. Now, this information should not surprise you: they are coming to get you."

He paused, which only seemed to make the situation more dire.

"You only have one option," he said bluntly. "You need to leave the country."

"No!"

Rogue stood up.

"Ah'm not going to let them ruin mah life like this. They were the ones who attacked us, and they are the ones who paid the price. Ah'm not gonna live mah life in fear because Ah defended mahself, and Ah'm not gonna leave this country unless AH choose to."

Although Kincaid was nonchalant about her outburst, Rogue could see a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"That's understandable, but have you considered how much danger you are putting your life in? Newsflash, my dear," he said slightly condescendingly. "You aren't invincible."

"Not yet she isn't," chimed in a voice from behind.

Rogue whirled around, and was surprised to see Carol leaning against the doorway, observing the scene in front of her.

"What do you mean," asked Rogue and Kincaid simultaneously.

"I took a look at your chart last night, Rogue. Felt bad about your situation, you see. And I have an idea..."

* * *

"No. What? No." 

Raven couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Do you realize what this means?"

"That the Assassins can't harm me, yes," Rogue finished for her.

"No," Mystique countered, "That you'll be indebted to S.H.I.E.L.D. forever. Look at Logan, why do you think they always have him running around on errands for them. They have to have something on him."

"Yes, but at least I'll be alive."

"But what about this Carol person. Will she survive?"

"Actually, she's in the medical wing. The doctors say that she'll be fine in a few weeks."

Mystique's eyes widened.

"You already _did _it?!"

Rogue nodded matter-of-factly.

"Yes Ah did. And Ah have other powers to show for it than invincibility. See," she demonstrated as she floated through the air.

Mystique gaped.

"Ah can _fly_!"

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody! I hope you like this chapter. I tried to be a little original with this. Please let me know if you liked it/or any questions or comments/ ideas that you might have. As always, thanks to the reviewers, and I hope to see some more. : ) So enjoy, guys. -iloveromys


	28. Finally going home

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to X-men, or Marvel.

A/N: Hey guys, how's everything going? Sorry I haven't been more consistent with my updates. It's been pretty rough with school (A.P English _and_ Creative Writing, so by the time I finish my assignments for _those_ two classes, I've lost all my writing energy.), and College prep (alas, more essays). How most people get through the whole college process without going completely crazy is beyond me. Okay, so I finally have a few things in order and some time to update, so here goes. Please write. I enjoy hearing from you guys. -iloveromys

* * *

**_Previous Chapter_**

Mystique's eyes widened.

"You already _did _it?!"

Rogue nodded matter-of-factly.

"Yes Ah did. And Ah have other powers to show for it than invincibility. See," she demonstrated as she floated through the air.

Mystique gaped.

"Ah can _fly_!"

* * *

"I can't believe you'd be so rash about this decision!" Mystique shrieked as she stared at her now flying daughter. Rogue recoiled back, stunned. If Mystique wasn't already blue, Rogue could've sworn that she would have turned it with anger already. 

"What's the big deal?" she asked confusedly. "Ah would've died without her protection, and she gave it to me voluntarily."

"That's not the point!" hissed Mystique angrily.

"I told you..." she broke off suddenly, and stalked around the room. But, just when Rogue was about to take the hint and leave, her mother's next few words stopped her in her tracks.

"Just don't come to me when they want to collect their due."

And with that, Rogue knew the conversation was over.

* * *

"Fury, here." Nick scowled darkly when he heard who was on the other end. It was none other than his least favorite Cajun in the world. He groaned and picked up his cell phone. 

"What do you want, LeBeau?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Rogue," was his curt reply.

"And the situation with the Assassins," he questioned condescendingly. "I'm not sure that it's a idea to take her life into your hands like that. I've looked at these Assassins's files, and they're no joke."

"_D'accord_, Nick. We've already discussed this," he reminded as he walked alongside Xavier up the beaten path to S.H.I.E.L.D's "secret" base. If Remy wasn't so impatient, he would have smirked. He was just beginning to appreciate the magnificent power of telepaths; truly there was no such thing as a secret if one could read minds. _Mebbe I could get Jeannie drunk enough to pull a job with me. _He glanced at Xavier, wondering if he had heard that thought.

"I'm hanging up," Fury said into the phone, shaking Remy out of his thoughts.

"Wait!" Remy shouted. "We're outside the base to pick up Rogue."

Inside, Fury swiftly made his way to the entrance. He opened the door, and motioned to the two men to follow him inside the building.

"Gentlemen," he said, mostly to Xavier, as they walked. "We need to talk about Rogue."

Remy shot a worried look to Charles, and then to Nick.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. As a matter of fact, you could say that she's never been better."

"I don't understand," interjected the Professor, as they turned a corner. Coincidentally, Rogue was making her way up the hallway, lost in her own thoughts. She glanced up to acknowledge Fury's presence, and broke into a huge grin when she saw Remy and the Professor. She ran and enveloped them in a literally bone-crushing hug.

Xavier smiled gently, "My dear, I didn't realize that you missed us that much."

"Are you kidding me?" she asked disbelievingly, as she linked her arm with Remy's. They walked a little while, but she could barely contain her excitement.

"I missed you guys so much!" She paused abruptly and glared at them. "Wait, just what are you guys doing here, anyway?"

It was Fury who answered her question. "Isn't it obvious? You're going home."

"What about the Assassins?"

"We made a deal."

"What kind of-," she started before Remy cut her off. "We'll talk about it later," he murmered in French.

She looked around her, glad that this would be her last day in this place, but then turned to them apologetically. "Ah'm sorry, but Ah have to take care of something first."

* * *

She stared at the woman in front of her, and watched her chest rise and fall softly into place. "Her name's Carol Danvers," she said to Remy, who was standing respectfully in the corner. "She gave me her powers, so Ah could be better protected against the Assassins." She chuckled slightly. "Ah guess Ah don't need them now, huh?" She turned to Remy again. 

"Ah wanted to say goodbye before we left."

"How long will you have dem for?" asked Remy curiously. She shrugged. "Ah dunno. Last person Ah really absorbed was you, Sugah, and your powers lasted a long time. Ah guess we'll have to wait and see."

When they left the room and Rogue, suddenly overcome with a surge of love, wrapped her arms around Remy and kissed him quickly.

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody! I hope you like this chapter. Sorry it's short. As always, thanks to the reviewers, and I hope to see some more. : ) So enjoy, guys. -iloveromys 


	29. Danger room fun and games

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, or the MLB or anything to do with anything that can get me sued. Also, I have no concept of time, because it took me way longer than what I gave myself to write a new chapter. Sorry, guys.

**

* * *

Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters **

"I'm bored," complained Bobby as he disturbed the relative peace and quiet of the living room. Kitty stopped typing and glared up at him from behind her laptop.

"Whose fault is that?" she asked pointedly. "I'm sure there's something for you to do. Look at Piotr- he's not bored. And I'm certainly keeping myself busy."

From across the room, Piotr looked up from his sketchbook, embarrased at the sudden attention. Little did Kitty know that she was what was keeping him entertained. His sketchbook had a near perfect representation of the Chicago teen, her face a mask of concentration working away on the couch.

"Yeah, well. I'm not a super-genious," started Bobby, intent on having his voice heard.

"Obviously not," mouthed Kitty to Piotr from across the room.

"...and I don't have any artistic talent. I'm tired of waiting around for Rogue to get back, because it seems like the whole world stopped since she's been gone. Baseball season didn't start yet," he continued to rant.

"Oy," muttered Kitty under her breath while Bobby rambled on.

"And the 'Sox didn't even get Santana."

Luckily, Kitty and Piotr were saved from Bobby's general obnoxiousness by the mighty rumbling of the x-jet.

**VVRRRROOOOOOOOOOMM **(a/n: I couldn't find a better onomotopeia, lol)

"_Thank God,_" Kitty thought exasperatedly.

Almost exactly after the jet arrived, shouts could be heard around the mansion.

"Do you hear that?"

"It's the X-jet!"

"Rogue's back!"

They looked up from their respective spots in the living room and simultaneously scrambled to the hanger. Kitty grabbed Piotr's hand and phased through the door. Bobby, following too closely behind, crashed loudly into it.

"Ow! Kitty!" he whined, but stopped short when he entered the room. Kitty, Piotr, Scott, Jean, Logan and Ororo were all gathered in the hanger, staring intently at the large aircraft in front of them.

"Shh, Bobby!" admonished Jean.

"Here they come."

From their place on the ground, they could make out the professor turning off the X-jet's computers, and shutting down the vehicle. Somewhat anti-climactically, the door opened and the ramp slid to the ground.

The professor exited the plane first. He gazed out into the little crowd that had formed to welcome back their lost teammate, and his chest swelled with pride.

Behind him came the two Southerners, hand in hand. Remy, for his part, looked ecstatic to be reunited with Rogue, and was cooing something in her ear, to which she smirked. Rogue on the other hand had a visible difference to her. Her hair had straightened some, and had a glossier sheen to it.

Kitty squinted.

'_Is her hair blonde?'_, she asked Jean telepathically.

"I think so," she verbally murmured back.

The Mississippian came out into the view, and gazed out at everyone with piercing blue eyes.

" Hey, guys. Waiting for me?"

Bobby's ears perked up from where he was standing.

Something was different about Rogue, and he could hear it from a mile away.

"Is that a Boston accent?" He asked excitedly, "Sweet!"

* * *

"...So that's when Ah realized that Ah could fly," Rogue explained to her wide-eyed teammates over dinner that night. To her surprise, they had reacted rather well to her new look, although she was often informed that her eyes changed frequently from blue to green. And, to her delight, Carol's harsh accent was gradually fading. 

"So you also have super strength, _da_?" asked Piotr, to which Rogue nodded.

"Ah'm gonna need you to help me with that, Petey. Ah feel like Ah'm gonna break something any minute," she replied as she glanced down at her slightly bent fork.

"Wait, I don't understand," began Scott. "Miss Marvel just _gave_ you her powers? Just like that?"

"Yep. Pretty much," she replied. "Well, that's when we all thought that it was a life and death situation. Ah mean, there's nothing better than invulnerability to help counteract an Assassin's bullet."

"I'm assuming, of course," she added.

"And ever since Remy worked it out between the Guilds, Ah guess Ah don't have to worry about it anymore. So when Carol wakes up, Ah guess everything will go back to to normal."

"Have you tested them out?" asked Logan.

"Not really, Ah've only floated some."

Logan smirked.

"Good, then you can test out a new simulation that I've been working on for the danger room."

Rogue gulped worriedly.

"Don't worry, kid," Logan said as he began to clear his plate and walk away. "That invulnerability will keep you safe enough."

* * *

**The Danger Room**

"You're crazy, Logan," shrieked Rogue from 1500 ft in the air, knowing that he would hear her above the chaos below her. She flew another lap around the general area, searching for her target: a tiny mutant toddler with minor teleporting abilities. Her objective was to fly above the battleground below her, undetected of course, into the fortress, and locate the girl. Simple, right?

Well, just to bring it up a few notches, he added top of the line security measures, infared laser detectors, a not-so secret "surprise visit" from Sabretooth, and an endless array of missiles aimed at her.

"Let them hit you!" roared Logan from the control booth.

"NO!" she answered back as she succesfully dodged another missile.

She really didn't want to test out the extent of her invulnerability, and she was pretty sure missiles would hurt pretty badly.

"They're not gonna kill you!"

"Are you the one testing these powers out? No. Ah may be temporarily invincible, but it's not like Ah have a healing factor as a back-up."

Momentarily distracted, she felt a thud in her shoulder.

"What the-"

"See, you already got hit," shouted Logan. "Congratulations."

"Well, that wasn't so bad..."

With that, Rogue streaked down onto the roof of the fortress, unfortunately attracting a lot of attention.

"Must be the new uniform," she muttered. Green and yellow were not the most conspicuous colors.

"Stop! Mutant!"

She was broken out of her musings by the sound of at least eight guns cocking. Slowly, she raised her hands.

"Easy does it, fellas."

In the control booth, Logan pounded his fist on the table. "What are you doing, kid!"

Behind him, Remy just leaned back in his chair.

"Don' worry_, homme._ She knows what she's doin'."

They watched as she was led into the fortress by the guards. The scene immediately accomodated them and changed to the inside of the fortress, where Rogue began to take off her jacket.

"Hey!" shouted a guard, jabbing the front of his sniper rifle into her abdomen. "Keep still."

"Relax," she said as she folded it over her arm.

The guards relaxed and formed a loose circle around her. She slowly circled around and counted her opponents.

Eight..

Nine..

Ten.

She mock-bowed before them, and threw out several sharp-edged playing cards that she had stolen from Remy. The combination of her newly acquired super-strength and the extra weight from the metal in the cards gave them a bit more accuracy, and they startled the guards, some of whom dropped their weapons.

And with that...she flew.

She flew deep into the fortress, unseen by anyone. She flew down hallways and past cells, until she could hear a faint cry in the distance.

She paused in mid-air, just as a teeny tiny sense of foreboding crept upon her.

And was tackled in full force by 450lbs of feline fury, also known as Sabretooth.

Unfortunately, her invulnerability did not stop her from feeling the impact as they broke through the opposite wall. Granted, it prevented shattered bones and most likely internal bleeding, but it still hurt pretty badly.

Remy winced from his seat in the booth.

Logan, meanwhile, just chuckled.

Once the dust settled. Rogue got back on her feet and backhanded Sabretooth across the jaw. Which forced him to crash through another two walls, and gave Rogue some much needed time to go off in search of the girl.

She flew back in the direction from which she had came, and turned the corner to the girl's cell. Peering through the bars, she waved at the girl.

"Hey, sugah. My name's Rogue and Ah'm here to get you out. Stand back."

She knocked against the stones surrounding the bars and watched as they started to crack. In one swift motion, she kicked out the wall, grabbed the girl, and flew out of the place.

Exhausted, she rested the girl outside of the danger area as the simulation ended and the setting and the girl faded away.

The door opened and she stalked past Logan angrily.

"Ah'm never doing that again."

* * *

A/N: I thought a little danger room action would be nice, eh? Oh, if you youtube "terry tate office linebacker," you'll get the inspiration for the tackle that Rogue received from Sabretooth. Welcome back to all of my readers, and hello to any new ones. Drop me a line to say hi, or if you have any feedback or things you'd like to see. I enjoy your reviews. Yeah, I don't own the Mets or Yohan Santana, but there was a rumor that he was going to the Red Sox at one point...so i figured Bobby wouldn't be happy that didn't work out. And has anyone kept up with Ultimate X-men lately? Is there anything good happening? I'm so far behind it's insane. 


	30. Job offer

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, or anything to do with anything that can get me sued. Also, I have no concept of time, because it took me waaay longer than what I gave myself to write a new chapter. Sorry, guys.

A/N: Ok, I know it's been a while and I'm sorry. So, as I'm trying to redeem myself, I have to go back and look over where I had gone through so far, right? Well, I noticed two things about my writing. 1) It's extremely short, and 2) It's kind of juvenile. Well, Lucia deMedici I ain't, and while I probably will not ever get to her level of writing, I'll try to improve on both the length and quality of my writing. It'll be a slow process, so please be patient, and I'll need your help. If you see any inconsistencies or points where I need to improve, please inform me. I will appreciate it very much. Thanks-iloveromys.

* * *

**Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters **

Remy whistled lightly as he sat in the kitchen. It was a bit later in the evening, and he was waiting for Rogue to finish showering after her strenuous Danger Room session with Logan. Bored, he glanced at the clock and was dismayed to see that they had an hour before the movie started. So he settled in his seat at the table and turned on the television. As he was surfing between channels, he heard the pleasant sound of Rogue's unmistakable laughter coming from down the hall. She walked in behind Wolverine, begging to get him to reason with her.

"...But Ah didn't hit you that hard," she exclaimed as Logan opened up the freezer and grabbed a cold beer. Logan raised an eyebrow at her while using his left and center claws to pop open the bottle cap. She took advantage of his position in front of the fridge, reached around him, grabbed a water bottle, and plopped down in the seat next to Remy.

"Hiya Sugah!" she exclaimed as she kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"Logan's being a big baby because Ah beat him at his own game," she explained solemnly.

"That's not how it happened," Logan interjected defensively, "After she finished the simulation, she came back looking for a rematch."

"...WHICH AH WON," Rogue pointed out.

"Not without 'extra help', if you know what I mean," he muttered to Remy, who glanced sideways at his girlfriend.

"Now he wants to give me extra danger room sessions as 'punishment,'" Rogue explained. In her excitement, she had squeezed the bottle of water a little too forcefully.

**CRUNCH..POP!**

"What was dat?" cried Remy, as Logan spun around from behind the fridge door.

"Oops," said Rogue, as she reached for the sponge.

"See," motioned Logan, "The kid doesn't even know her own strength."

"Ah'm still here, Logan," she reminded as she finished cleaning the mess and made her way out of the kitchen to change. "Ah'll see you in a few minutes, Remy. Ah just hafta change outta these clothes."

Remy glanced at the clock again. At this point, they'd never leave.

* * *

**Bayville Cinema, 10:50 PM**

The two southerners walked arm in arm out of the movie theater, surrounded by various other teenage couples. While the other kids chatted wildly about the latest action-comedy, Remy and Rogue reveled in the silence of their walk to the car. Each was deep in thought as they contemplated the foreign romance that they had just seen play out over the past hour and a half.

"Remy?" Rogue asked as she snuggled into his arm. _Boy, was it cold! _

"Hm, _Chere_?"

She stopped in front of the dark blue BMW they had chosen for the evening, grateful, for once, that she had on her gloves. While she didn't necessarily need them anymore (the only person whose contact she really craved didn't really care about her powers anyway), she still relied on them for comfort and security. Rogue sat back, albeit gingerly on the hood and gazed up at the stars, noting that, despite her hopes, it was too dark to see much. She was lost in thought, staring up at the barely illuminated sky. Ever the patient gentleman, Remy lit up a cigarette and waited for her to speak.

"Do ya think it's that easy?"

His blank look told her to elaborate.

"The characters in that movie had it so easy. Sofia and Paolo. They had their storybook romance, ya know? Sure, they had a few minor bumps along the way, but no matter what, they were fine," she explained.

"It's not fair!" she huffed suddenly. "We're so young, yet have been through so much. You _died_!"

"Not quite," Remy corrected, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You know what Ah mean, Swamp Rat! It's just that...if they could go through all that and be fine, Ah'd say we better have a pretty damn good shot." Rogue shook her head to herself. She was babbling. Maybe it was the atmosphere or the wine that they had before the movie, but she seemed to be in a haze.

Remy opened the passenger door and swept her inside. "Of course we do," he agreed as he kissed her on her forehead.

"Was there any doubt in your mind?" he quietly asked the wind as he went around to the other side of the car.

* * *

The drive home was pensive.

She and Remy greeted everyone when they had arrived at the mansion as Rogue, sleepy from the day, made her way up to the kitchen. As she approached the door, she heard fragments of a sharp conversation. Rogue, never one to eavesdrop, paused in the hall, with her hand poised to knock.

She knocked two times and made her way in the room to find Kitty staring angrily at an unexpected guest.

"I tried to get him out of here, Rogue."

In the corner, looking as if she had waited all night for her arrival, was Nick Fury. _Great_, Rogue thought. She sighed, suddenly awake, and blew her bangs out of her face in frustration.

"What do you want, Nick...?" she began exasperatedly. She really didn't need this right now.

"That's what I asked him, kid," hollered Logan from the next room. _Then why didn't you send him out, Logan_, she growled to herself.

"...Nothing, Rogue. I just came by to check up on your progress with Ms. Danvers' powers," he answered. "I trust that they're adjusting themselves nicely. Are you getting used to them?"

"Yeah, kinda," she replied guardedly while trying to figure out his angle.

"Good."

"So why are ya really here, Nick? Ah know it ain't for milk and cookies."

Nick Fury smiled and produced a file seemingly from out of thin air. He placed it on the table in front of her.

"Well, as you know, Ms. Marvel is in instrumental agent here at S.H.I.E.L.D. But with her...incapacitated, we are at a disadvantage," he said as he cracked his knuckles methodically. "Since you have her abilities, memories, and a fully functioning body, we have come up with a solution to our shortage of workers, if you will."

He paused.

"How would you like to be a temporary agent at our agency?"

Rogue chuckled.

"What makes me qualified to be your new super-agent?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie. You would fill out the uniform rather nicely," he replied half-seriously as Remy entered the room.

"Careful, _mon ami_," he warned as he possessively wrapped an arm around Rogue's waist. Nick glared at Remy, impatient with his hollow threat.

"Think about it, Rogue. With your impeccable training, as well as a command of both your and Carol's powers, you'd be unstoppable...and, quite frankly, you owe us one."

Rogue snorted. "Ah didn't say no. Ah'll fill in for Carol until she wakes up and is ready to be back on the job."

"Good," he replied. "You start in a week."

Fury shook her hand and nodded his goodbyes to Remy, Kitty, and Logan, who had all gathered in the area to see him off. He walked to the foyer and opened the front door.

"I'll send over your supplies in the morning," he said as he closed the door and left.

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you remember me. Now, I need a totally kickass first mission for Rogue. I have one or two ideas lined up, but I'll give you guys the most say. I need suggestions for A. location, B. objective, and C. partners (?!). The reviewer(s) with the most original idea(s) will be the recipient of 100,000 cool points and an awesome shout-out :).


	31. Holy secret weapons!

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, or anything to do with anything that can get me sued.

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope your day is going well, and thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

**Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters **

Rogue padded softly through the hallway at about two in the morning, trying desperately not to make the floorboards creak due to her added muscle weight from Carol. She was pretty unsuccessful at this, and in some dark recess of her mind, she vowed to one day take stealth lessons from Gambit.

She paused as the floor let out a particularly loud squeal outside of Jean's room.

_Shoot_, she thought to herself, as she heard Jean stir from within the room.

_Why don't you just fly,_ a sleepy Jean questioned telepathically, while Rogue mentally smacked herself.

_Sorry_, she apologized. _That creak must've been pretty loud_.

_Not as loud as you projecting as you tried, and failed, to be quiet_, replied Jean snarkily_._

_Won't happen again._

_Mhm._

Rogue made it to her room much more quietly by flying. She quickly stripped out of her jeans and hopped into bed, letting the past few hours replay themselves in her head. After Fury left, she had gone with Remy to his room to hang out. Armed with an arsenal of Coke, (she refused to drink Pepsi) gummi bears, and popcorn, she and Remy went off to finish their date night. At first, they had started off playing Go Fish on his bed, but Remy wasn't very interested in the game. So they chatted about a number of topics ranging from their respective childhoods to her upcoming mission(s) with S.H.I.E.L.D. She had admitted to him that despite her growing comfort with Carol's abilities and the help of her memories, she wasn't too sure herself as an ideal choice for a replacement. Thank God for Remy, though. He quickly dismissed her negativity, insisting that she was well worth her weight in gold, and succeeded in assuaging her doubts and calming her down. He was in the middle of a particularly amusing story of his cousin Lapin's first heist, when Kitty quickly knocked, then phased through the door.

"Oh!" exclaimed Kitty with a huge grin on her face. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Rogue quickly looked around at the position that she and Remy had gotten themselves into and blushed. Remy, on the other hand, was as nonchalant as ever.

"Of course not. Come in, _petite_." He tossed her a Coke from the mini-fridge.

"Well, you two sure look awfully cozy," noted Kitty as she settled into Remy's desk chair and opened up her laptop. It was true. Somewhere between their game and Remy's story, they had ended up side by side. Her hand had found her way into his hair and his arm encircled her waist. The cards lay scattered, long forgotten.

Rogue straightened herself out a bit for propriety's sake, then gave up and snuggled back into Remy's embrace.

"Yeah, well. Remy was just going on about his cousin's first heist. It's pretty funny. So then what happened?"

Remy continued, "...So Lapin was halfway outta de building when he tripped de silent alarm. We saw dis from the surveillance video, but of course, he didn' know dat. So he's all puffed up like a peacock because he got de necklace out dat he turns off de communication device; he figured dat he didn' need our help, after all. But when he heard de police sirens get close to de buildin, he sure deflated quick enough." He chuckled warmly at the memory. "Lapin ran so fast dat you would have thought dat he saw a ghost. To make it worse, as he walked through de door, he got hit wit' one of dose ink explosives dey have for bank robbers. Apparently, it was in de box dat de necklace came in. Tante Mattie was so angry, she made him clean de ink out of de _entire_room before he could celebrate. Needless to say, after dat, we decided dat he'd be better of using his computer skills to help us, rather than his thieving skills."

Remy smiled warmly, but Rogue could tell that there was a tinge of sadness in his eyes. Although he was happy here, it was still hard for him to be exiled from his family and the city he loved.

"Ah bet he earned his namesake (1)," laughed Rogue.

"Speaking of computer skills," Kitty began, "I'm pretty sure that you might need those for your mission. If you want, I can lend you some."

"Kitty, Ah can't do that!" Rogue exclaimed.

"Sure you can," she interjected. "What's the big deal? Who knows. Maybe some of it will stick and you can fix your own computer problems, instead of being so dependant on me."

"Ha, Ha."

"Seriously. Think about it. It couldn't hurt," she reasoned.

"Maybe tomorrow," Rogue conceded, while considering the advantages Kitty's knowledge might bring her.

"I'm surprised dat you're not with Piotr," Remy observed, smoothly changing the subject. Kitty smiled brightly,"Oh, he's with Illyana. I think he took her into the city for some sight-seeing before she leaves." For the past month, Piotr's little sister had been at the institute. Everyone had gotten along with the blonde. At first she was quiet, like Piotr, but soon she opened up, and was easily excited. Luckily, she was especially friendly with Kitty. Rogue was sure that this was due to Piotr's input. But while Illyana was enjoying herself in America, she was anxious to head back to Russia and see her friends. To Piotr's disappointment, yet understanding, she was scheduled to return in a few days.

"Aw, that's nice. I hope they have a good time."

Remy glanced at his phone. "Dey should be home soon. It's past midnight."

Kitty yawned, "That's right. I should be getting to bed. I have a job interview tomorrow."

* * *

Rogue stayed in Remy's room for about another hour and a half after Kitty left. They had restarted their game, but Rogue ended up falling asleep, her head taking up most of Remy's pillow.

At about two, Remy woke up from his slumber to notice that she was still there. He knew that she would get in trouble if she was still there by morning, (_or later in the morning_, he figured) so he reluctantly shook her awake. She groaned softly and snuggled more deeply into his pillow.

_"Cherie,_" he whispered in her ear, "Y'gotta go to sleep."

"What d'ya think Ah was doing," she mumbled sleepily.

"Y'know what I mean," he said, "In your own bed."

After a few more minutes of reasoning, she agreed that he was right and made her way down to the hall. Besides, she knew that she wouldn't hear the end of it from Kitty if she wasn't in their room by morning.

* * *

**The next day**

"Package came for you," grunted Logan as a greeting when Rogue came in for breakfast. He looked up from his newspaper and tossed her a banana, which she caught without even looking. He was impressed.

"Nice reflexes, kid."

"Thanks, Logan. Anything good?" she asked, referring to the package. She knew Logan would look through it; he didn't trust anything that had to do with Fury. He shrugged, "Just a uniform and a few gadgets. Pretty basic equipment."

"Did Nick drop them off himself?"

Logan grimaced. "I couldn't tell. It was on the doorstep this morning, but his scent was masked. I bet it made his day just to screw with me a little."

She patted his arm. "Don't worry, Sugah. Ah'm sure you'll find a way to screw him over worse soon."

He sniffed the air once or twice.

"Speaking of screwing...," he muttered softly under his breath. Rogue, oblivious, rummaged around for one of the frying pans.

He cleared his throat.

"Where's Gumbo?" he asked.

Rogue, to her credit, just shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah dunno. Probably still sleeping."

"Good morning," said Scott as he walked in the kitchen, cutting off anymore questions from Logan.

"Hey Cyke," replied Rogue as she began cracking some eggs. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No thanks, Rogue. I've been up for a while," he responded, then said, "So I hear you've switched teams."

Rogue took a swig of her orange juice, and frowning, shook her head.

"Not really," she explained, "Just paying back a favor Ah owe."

Scott scrutinized her closely. "Well, just be careful. You don't want to do anything that would compromise our team."

Logan's ears pricked up defensively at that, but Rogue just let it roll off her back. "Don't worry Sug," she reassured him, "Ah'm not gonna divulge any codes to the Danger Room."

"Well, of course you wouldn't," Scott agreed in all seriousness, completely missing the sarcasm. "Well, I'm off. Good luck today, Rogue."

When Scott was out of earshot, Logan turned to Rogue.

"'Compromise our team,'" he repeated incredulously. Rogue shook her head, "Relax, he didn't mean any harm. That's just the way he is."

"D'way who is," questioned a now-awake Remy as he sauntered in the kitchen. He was in a good mood, bowing theatrically to Logan and Rogue, before sweeping her into a low dip, and kissing her quickly on the lips.

"Watch it, Gumbo," warned Logan. Remy, who was woozily making his way to the nearest chair, just mumbled incoherently.

"Ah, he's fine," brushed off Rogue, whose eyes were now a sparkling red and black.

"Now let's check this thing out." She sat down at the table and examined the package that Nick dropped off. It was a nondescript stainless steel box, with no visible clasps, just a soft gel-like oval in the middle.

Rogue eyed it warily, then pressed her thumb gently in the center of the oval. With a small circle, the box disintegrated, leaving its contents on the table.

"Hmm. Fancy Schmancy," Rogue whispered to herself. She turned to Logan. "How'd you know what was inside?"

He tapped his nose.

"Oh," she said. "Right."

She looked at the material on the table. There was a plain black uniform, with a Kevlar vest on the outside, a few communication devices, and tiny gun and knife thigh holsters. Next to those was a utility belt of some sort, with tiny items in the pocket.

"Holy secret weapons! You're Batgirl!" cried Bobby as he bounded over to inspect the contraband. He picked up a note from the table.

"What's this?" He handed it over to Logan who read it.

_Get ready. We'll pick you up at twelve. _

"Sounds like a date," snorted Bobby. "Well, you better go on, Jane(1)."

"Shut up, Bobby," shot back Rogue good-naturedly. With that, she left to change and guess what lay ahead.

* * *

A/N: Here's an explanation of the references:

(1) _Lapin _is French for "rabbit."

(2) Jane as in Jane Smith from Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Read and Review, please! -iloveromys


	32. Ready to Roll

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, or anything to do with anything that can get me sued.

A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay. I just started college and now have extremely long breaks during which I can devote time to writing fanfiction. YAY! Hope you guys are doing well and please drop a quick review. -iloveromys.

* * *

**Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters **

Rogue frowned while scrutinizing herself in the mirror. She had changed into the surprisingly heavy, tight bodysuit and all of its accessories. And while it seemed practical (kevlar, compartments, weapons), she still felt a bit silly...yet in a weird sort of way, sexy and powerful. Maybe it was all those Angelina Jolie movies that Bobby made her watch on their dates together...

She stepped back and examined the weapons laid out on the soft cotton comforter of her bed, knowing instictively what each specific one was and what it could do, mentally classifying them as such. Scrunching her eyebrows together, she faintly wondered whether this knowledge came from her mother or her boyfriend, but decided that either way, it was useful information.

She picked up a knife and deftly flipped it between her fingers, judging by its weight, the amount of force she would need to accurately sail it across the room and into the wall. She sheathed it, and picked up a pair of sunglasses. They looked normal from the outset, but once she put them on, she was able to read tiny lettering across the lens. Gazing in the distance, her retina was scanned, verifying her information, and a list of codes flitted before her. She made a mental note to memorize most of them, and continued her uniform inspection.

The actual material of her uniform was complex; the interior seemed to be made of a soft, gel-like substance which conformed to her body. The outside was a more inconspicuous material. One aspect amused her, though. The zipper of her body suit, while miniscule, could zip all the way up to her face, effectively hiding her entire body. This, she presumed, would help her blend in entirely with dark backgrounds, at least on camera. She gingerly stepped on the ground with her right foot, and marveled at the silence and softness that came with that footstep. Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D knew how to combine comfort and convenience. Maybe they should market padded shoes.

A knock at the door interrupted her inspection. Remy sauntered in the room, but stopped abruptly when he glanced at his girlfriend.

"I didn't know dat you were Spidergirl, chere," he joked. She smiled.

"Or at least the female Venom..."

"Ah like it Remy. It's like ten times more comfortable than the X-men uniforms. And practical, too."

"And it fits well too," he added, gazing at her figure.

"Eyes up here, Remy!" she snapped once she caught where his gaze was trailing.

"Y'know it reminds me a bit of de uniform dat Fenris got for you. De one dat nullified your powers."

Frowning at the memory, Rogue replied, "Yep, but this one's more comfy." _And won't cause me to sell my soul, either. _

"So you 'bout ready to go, Chere? Fury said dat he'd be here in a few."

"Ah know. And Ah guess Ah'm as ready as Ah'll ever be, but Ah really don't know what to expect or how long Ah'll be gone for. Ah guess Ah'm a bit nervous." She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Don' worry, Chere. Dey picked you for a reason. You'll be fine."

She broke their caress and went to the bed to finish packing. Although she'd never admit it, that reassurance was exactly what she needed.

"Ok, Ah'm ready."

She stepped back and examined her handiwork. Her bags were packed and her bed was made. She also took the opportunity to tidy up a bit of the room for Kitty. She knew _that _would be appreciated.

Remy grabbed some of her heavier bags for her.

"Shall we, Chere?"

Rogue eyed the bags in his hands.

"You do know that Ah can carry those myself." She added a "Sugah" as to not seem ungrateful. Remy bowed and ushered her out the door, while keeping a firm hold on her bags.

"_Oui_, chere, but I still want to be chivalrous. _Tante _Mattie would have my hide any other way," he smirked.

Together, they made their way down the hall to the front of the mansion. She smiled at the mini-farewell party that was assembled in her honor, and locked eyes with Logan.

He approached her and gave her a rough hug.

"Go kick some ass, Ace." She smiled at the nickname.

"Will do."

Bobby piped up from the back, "You ready, Rogue?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw the unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D. van coming up the drive.

After loading her stuff in the van and giving Remy a quick kiss (in the process turning her eyes red and black, _plus _receiving a refresher in his thieving skills), she gazed in Bobby's direction.

"As ready as Ah'll ever be," she answered as she drove off into the wind.

* * *


	33. You don't know who you're messing with

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men, or anything to do with anything that can get me sued.

A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay. I just started college and now have extremely long breaks during which I can devote time to writing fanfiction. YAY! Hope you guys are doing well and please drop a quick review. -iloveromys.

P.S. I posted a chapter about two days ago, so if you get a bit confused, backtrack one. Sometimes I miss a chapter and have to backtrack in order to make sense of the story. Oh, and 1) I don't own Nair, or "Cocaine," by Eric Clapton. 2) If you are or know someone named Caitlin Greene, I mean no offense. I just picked the name randomly. 3) I've never been to the U.S./Canadian border. So in my imagination, it's just a more thorough toll-booth of sorts, lol. Humor me. And please drop off a review. I'd love to hear from you guys.

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D HEADQUARTERS**

_This ain't too bad, _thought Rogue about an hour and a half after getting acquainted with her new settings. Or reacquainted, if one wanted to get technical. Since she had an ample amount of Carol's memories inside of her head, she knew more or less what to expect about the whole sign-in process. So after she got through the initial introductions (which were again, needless. She already knew pretty much everyone in the building, and had even shocked one of Carol's coworkers by inquiring about the family before they were introduced) and examinations, Nick Fury had briefed her about the mission in general.

Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been surveilling a mutant-run group of high-class drug dealers that had been operating from the U.S./Canadian border. Normally, the U.S. or Canadian government would have handled this infraction, but the group had connections with members of the respective governments. It seemed that the skeptics who had criticized that whoever was running the country was had to be on drugs wasn't that far off base.

With the U.S./Canadian governments unable or unwilling to take care of this problem (their excuse was that they didn't want to handle such _volatile _mutants), Nick Fury had elected to intervene on their behalf. And since these particular criminals happened to be mutants, he had assigned his most trusted mutant lieutenant, Carol Danvers, to the job. But with Carol temporarily out of the picture, he took the most capable replacement-Rogue.

She sat on Carol's cot with large manila file that she had been instructed to memorize. It contained her picture, a fake passport, driver's i.d., and an extraordinary amount of cash. As of tonight, she was no longer Rogue- she was Caitlin Greene- also known as the underground Queenpin of Mississippi. In the past few months, Fury had "let it slip" that there was a new drug lord whose power had been steadily increasing in the South. Rumors of her beauty were almost as populous as those of her...less admirable traits. Jealousy, ruthlessness, and extreme brutality were said to be some of her flaws. But in the cutthroat business that was the underground drug game, these traits had been part of what had thrust her to the top. Some claimed that she was an urban legend. Others claimed to have seen her in passing. A flash of green eyes, a wisp of blonde hair, a whisper in the night...

Needless to say this was whom Carol was to impersonate for the mission. They had practically tailored the character after Carol, in terms of looks anyway. Which served to remind Rogue about the issue of hair color. Wasn't this Greene girl supposed to be a blonde?

As if on cue, Jaime, another member of S.H.I.E.L.D. looked in from around the corner and knocked twice to get her attention. She looked up, startled.

"Catch," he instructed as he threw a box in her direction. She caught it smoothly with her left hand, and scrutinized the package.

Hair dye. Great.

"Is is permanent," she asked. She rather liked her hair as is, and didn't really want to mess with it. Jaime looked at her as if she had two heads.

"How should I know? I didn't even buy it," he contemplated for a moment. "Ask Janice."

Janice was one of the few female workers in the entire operative. Although cordial, Rogue sensed a bit of hostility towards her, but brushed it off. Apparently, she was very close to Carol, and was a bit miffed that _she _wasn't the next in line for the job. Rogue didn't let this pettiness bother her, though. As long as she didn't put Nair in her hair dye, she couldn't care less what Janice thought of her.

She examined the bottle thoroughly, looking for signs of damage.

"Guess you're not much of a 'baby blonde,'" remarked Jaime and grinned.

"Guess not," she agreed, after determining that it was previously unopened.

* * *

**U.S./CANADIAN BORDER. 10:26 P.M. **

She was wrong.

The color was very flattering on her, and brought out her the brightness of her eyes even more, if that was possible. Naturally, the back of her hair was a darker blonde than the front, but it just gave her the appearance of highlights. It still was a shock to her every time she glanced in a mirror, though.

She reapplied her ruby red lipstick and waited for the signal, from her parked 1977 Cadillac. While sipping her overpriced rest-stop iced-tea, she lazily flipped through the radio station. She stopped at the local classic rock station, and grinned at the song.

"Cocaine."

How appropriate.

She waited until the song ended.

"...And that was dedicated to Caity from Nick F. 'Congrats on your third year of staying on the right path.' Next, we'll hear from..." She tuned out the rest of the radio personality's chatter as she turned on the ignition. That was the signal. She was to go to the third booth from the right. There would be her contact.

She put on her shades and drove slowly up to the station.

The dude, an obvious stoner, nearly dropped his sandwich and stared slack-jawed when he caught sight of Rogue.

"N-name and identification?" he stammered as tried not to look her over.

"Caitlin Greene," she responded confidently as she passed over her documents. The dude paused.

"Caitlin Greene?" he repeated disbelievingly. _No way!_

"The one and only," she drawled, with a smile,"...Sugah."

He fumbled with his walkie-talkie and muttered something to a superior, while Rogue inspected her nails- a signal to the other operatives that the plan was working.

"Ms. Greene?"

"Hm?"

"You're going to have to come with us." She looked up and saw a trio of uniformed men, then looked back to the seat next to her. "Alright, just lemme get mah purse."

* * *

After leaving her car in the possession of one of the men, she was led into a large building by the other two. She took note of her surroundings, paying particular attention to the exits and windows, before being escorted into a nondescript room.

The man on the right, who appeared as if he was a part-time wrestler, looked at her disbelievingly and motioned to his partner.

"This chick claims to be Caitlin Greene," he said bemusedly.

His friend snorted, "She can be Dolly Parton for all I care. As long as she has the stuff, I'm cool. Besides, we'll let the boss decide if she's telling the truth or not."

Rogue meanwhile was calmly overhearing the conversation. She opened her mouth to comment, when the sound of footsteps and keys jingling interrupted her thoughts.

A shadow appeared in the doorway and a deeply accented voice rang out.

"So this is Caitlin Greene."

Rogue stood up as a large Eastern European looking man entered the room, flanked by three bodyguards. She looked up, defiant.

"And you are..?"

"It does not matter who I am. I have to admit you are...not what I expected."

She looked him up and down as well, and snorted.

"Well, neither are you."

He growled menacingly, and slammed his fist on the table.

"Enough with the jokes. Do you have the drugs or not?"

She motioned lazily to her purse. He snatched it from on the table, and tossed it to his henchman. He leaned over and took her face in his hand.

"I do not know why you have come tonight. I wouldn't make it a habit. You might meet some unsavory characters," he smiled, and added, "Like me."

**SMACK!!**

She gritted her teeth against the blow.

"Boss?" his henchman called from the shadows. Rogue had forgotten that they were there. He turned back to the voice.

"What is is?"

"There is a lot of money in her bag. It looks like about twenty-five, maybe thirty thousand...Cash."

The Boss paused. Thought for a bit.

"Take it with you."

He released her from his grip and turned on his heel.

"I do not know who you think you are. You may have some two-bit criminals down South fooled, but do not delude yourself into thinking that you are a criminal mastermind."

"Now thank you for your time, your drugs, and your money." He grinned wolfishly. "I'll be sure to enjoy them all."

He opened the door, but was stopped by Rogue.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH!!"

He laughed at her seemingly melodramatic line, and walked out, leaving her with the bodyguards.

A minute passed as she contemplated her options. After a minute she grinned, and cracked her knuckles.

"What? It's true."

...And threw the first punch.

* * *

**3 Minutes Later**

Rogue cautiously opened the door, and peered around the corner. Nick Fury was smoking a cigar, oblivious to the "No Smoking" sign to his left.

"Good Job. He's already been apprehended and is on his way to the Federal prison as we speak." It was true, she could see S.H.I.E.L.D. cruisers all around the building. The plan had worked.

"I hope you didn't rough the guards up too badly. They need to answer some questions, but they can't do that if their jaws are wired shut."

She grinned.

"They just didn't know who they were messing with."

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon. Lemme buy you a steak."

A/N: Please review. And I don't own Dolly Parton either. Hope you like it.


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